Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time
by LGCrusader
Summary: Time is a powerful yet fragile force that moves humanity forward every day. But in the world of Remnant, they will encounter a new threat from the distant future, the Imagins. Bent on destroying the past to alter the future, it is time for the singular point of that era to rise and become Kamen Rider Den-O!
1. Chapter 1: Ore Sanjou!

(A/N:) Hey everyone! Welcome to the first chapter of Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time. Feel free to comment on what I did wrong so I can get better. Anyways, hope you guys like the first chapter and enjoy!

I do not I own the rights to the series RWBY or Kamen Rider. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth Productions and The Kamen Rider Series is owned by Toei Company

"Normal Speech"

'Thoughts/Inner communication between OC and imagin'

 _"Third Person/Flashback"_

 **"Imagin speech"**

Edited: 7/28/2017

* * *

 _It all starts with the beautiful sky, colored like the rainbow. And the vast desert landscape, stretching out for miles and miles. On the ground reveals to be a set of tracks running in a certain direction. Then a loud noise cries out as a mysterious portal opens to reveal what seems to be a bullet train. This bullet train has a white, black, and red color scheme while the window are colored blue. The front of the train has a red tinted glass while the top of the train is black, this train is the Den-Liner._

 _The Den-Liner traverses through the desert, pursuing what seems to be a group of yellow orbs fleeing from them. The yellow orbs are flying as fast as they could from the train as it came closer and closer to them. As the the yellow orbs and the Den-Liner was about to reach the canyon, they both headed straight down in the ravine. As they descend downwards, a portal opens letting the orbs escape and closes just as the Den-Liner were about to enter._

 _The Den-Liner immediately stops abruptly as they have escaped within their grasp. The inside of the dining car has sets of yellow colored benches with red tables, the interior is mostly white with some gray paint to break up the color. At one end of the dining car has a counter where all the food and drinks are made while the other side has a single table and bench near the dining cart exit door. Inside this dining car reveals to only occupy three people._

 _A woman behind the counter in a white latex waitress top, black leggings with arrows pointing downwards on the side of her legs, red gloves and boots, and wearing several watches around her wrists. She looks like she is in her mid twenties with a pale complexion, short light brown hair with a several long strands of pink hair on the right side of her face, dark brown eyes, and has slender physique._

 _Another woman is sitting on a bench. She is wearing a white hood with a black tank top, across her chest is black quiver decorated with a white symbol of a clock, white cargo pants, and combat boots with the laces colored white. She looks seventeen year old with a slight tanned complexion, long light brown hair, dark brown eyes, and a skinny physique as well._

 _And lastly was a man sitting in a seat near the diner door. He is wearing a full dark brown suit with a maroon vest covering his white dress shirt and light brown dress shoes. He looks like he is in his early sixties and has a tanned complexion, dark brown eyes, and black hair combed back. After the train backs up and continues their course to find the group of yellow orbs, the woman in the white hood stood up and shouted in frustration, "Damn it! We were so close to stopping them from interfering with the past and now they have escaped into god knows when and messing with time and…!"_

" _Patience Mai, we will find them soon but please sit down." The man in the brown suit interrupted. The woman in the white hood, now dubbed as Mai, reluctantly sat down as she was getting more anxious. The waitress is quietly making coffee as she is listening in to the situation._

 _The tense atmosphere is broken when Mai asked calmly, "So what year did they travel back to?"_

 _The man stood up and picked up his cane and said without making eye contact with Mai, "They mostly likely have traveled back to 2017. I could consult with Mr. Ozpin of our situation, maybe he could lend some huntsmen and huntresses to help aid us for the time being until we could find a singular point in that era." Mai looked distressed given with the situation they are in. The man spoke once again, "Mai, I would like you to go speak with Mr. Ozpin of our negotiation. He should be at Beacon Academy at the moment, tell him the 'owner' sent you." She nods in understanding as the Den-Liner stops for Mai waiting for her to leave. As she leaves she picks up her white combat bow and what seems to be a black case with a strange symbol on the back._

* * *

 **Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time**

 **Chapter 1: Ore Sanjou!**

* * *

 _March 3, 2017_

"The total will be 40 liens please." The shopkeeper said. I paid him the liens and walked out the store with the groceries for my sister, to reveal the streets of Vale, busy as always. The wind blew through my black shaggy hair and red muffler around my neck. My eyes gaze at the sun before looking back at my scroll to check the time. It is currently 10:56 in the morning, so I gotta hurry back to the cafe with the groceries. I turn off my scroll which reveals my face and part of my torso. I have a slight tanned complexion and dark brown eyes, while part of my torso shows my white jacket, black shirt, and my red muffler. I put my scroll back in my pants and continue my way back to the cafe.

The walk from the store to the cafe wasn't far, just had to go through the Vale Park to get there quicker. It is quite a peaceful time in Vale, no constant danger that keeps us on edge all time since we have huntsmen and huntresses protecting us all. As I made my way to the entrance of the park, I noticed a group of faunus' rights activists protesting at one of the Schnee Dust Company branches. Faunus never really had an easy life. But now with the White Fang attacking and looting stores, it just gives more reason for people to hate them. I never understood myself why humans can be so cruel to faunus. Is it because they fear things that are different? Is it because humans want to feel like they are above faunus? I guess I'll never understand fully.

I enter the Vale Park and it was quite deserted at the moment. But the trees in the park flourish quite beautifully after the winter season we had a while back, feels calm and soothing being here. I kept walking until I stopped at the playground. At the playgrounds, there were three guys were waiting out at the swingset and they all turn to look at me with a mischievous grin on their faces. Something tells me this is not gonna end well. The three guys approach menacingly towards me and I was able to get a good look at each of them.

One guy wore a red tracksuit with a brown beanie. He has a pale complexion, blue eyes, and dark brown hair. Another guy was wearing a green letterman jacket with a white shirt, blue jeans with a chain coming out of his pocket, and black shoes. He has a pale complexion as well with light brown spiked up hair and green eyes. But the guy, he was huge! He wore a red flannel rolled up to his sleeves, khakis, and black hiking boots. He has a tanned complexion, short dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, and a scar running on the right side of his face. The three guys are all armed with a weapon, two of them armed with a club and the big guy with butterfly knife. The big guy twirls his butterfly knife open to reveal a sharp black blade. He points it at me and says, "Hey there buddy! What do we have here? Groceries? Perhaps you could spare me and my guys, a few liens?"

He twirls the knife once more, making me feel more nervous. I calmed my nervous and said, "Sorry man, I used all my liens for the groceries." The two other guys were playing with the clubs in their hands as they were snickering at what I was saying.

The big guy said, "Come on man, I know you got a few liens left in your wallet. Just give us some and we won't have a problem."

"For the last time, I don't have any liens left. I used all for the groceries." The big guy's face turns from mischievous to dissatisfaction. He looks at his friends as he signals them to my direction. The two guys slowly approach towards me with their weapons ready. I slowly try to back away, but the guy in the red tracksuit sprinted towards me and swung the club right in my stomach. I staggered forward from the initial pain as the other guys join in. They eventually stop for a brief moment as they dig through my pockets for my wallet. They ravaged through my wallet until the big guy stole it out of their hands as he looks inside for himself.

"Wow, guess you were right. It's my bad, all well and good right?" He exclaimed. He kept searching until he found my ID and said, "Kurokuu Akarui? Interesting name. You from Vacuo or something? Oh well I gotta go, nighty nighty!" He grabbed my shirt as he was ready to knock me out cold until an arrow flew between us.

We both turn to the source of the arrow to reveal a woman in a white hood with a bow pointing at us. She pulls another arrow out of her quiver as she readies her bow. She shouts, "You guys better drop your weapons and run the other direction! And I don't thinking I'm joking! This time I won't miss!" The three guys were instantly frightened at what was about to happen next. The big guy threw me back onto the ground and ran away with the others. I stood back up and dust myself off.

As I picked up the groceries, the woman in white walked up to me and asked, "Are you okay? I'm sorry if I hadn't got here sooner."

I looked back at her and said," Oh no, it's fine. Just a little bruise is all. Thank you for saving me."

"You're welcome." She stares at her scroll. "Oh crap gotta go somewhere! Bye!" She said before running off to wherever she's going. As she was running a small black case fell out of pocket. I picked it up and tried to give it back but she was long gone. I analyze the small black case closer, on the back it had a strange symbol. Maybe it's some kind of logo? I open the small back case to reveal a slot to put something in and the symbol shown once again, but traced in white with a techy looking background. 'What is this thing?' I thought to myself. I look at my scroll and to check the time once more. 'Oh crap, I'm late! Sis is gonna kill me!' I thought to myself before grabbing the groceries and running to the cafe as fast as I can.

* * *

I dash through the park and the streets of Vale. I turn to the next corner and stop as I arrived at my location. The sign outside the door says "The Milk Dipper." I regain my composure before approaching the door. As I open the door, the cafe was busy as usual. The interior has a tan wallpaper with some wooden wallpaper to break up the color. There were many bookshelves placed around the cafe. Tables and chairs are set around the cafe with people occupy the table. There was round table with seats that has a small display podium containing books and showing off a telescope pointing up in the painted night sky.

A group of people clamoured around the counter as my sister, Kasumi, is, making coffee. She is wearing a blue spring dress and brown slippers. Kasumi has a slight tan complexion, light brown long hair tied up in a ponytail, and dark brown eyes. She looks up to me and said, "Welcome back Kurokuu. Did you get the groceries?"

"Yep, I got them right here!"

She grabs the groceries off my hands until she saw the condition I was in. "Oh my oum, what happened to you!?" Kasumi asked worryingly.

I tried to cover it up and told her, "It's nothing to worry about, Kasumi. It's just a little incident I had earlier."

She looks at me with concern as she said, "Come with me, I'll patch you up quick." Kasumi led me behind a counter and opens the shelf to grab the first aid kit. She grabs some bruise patches and places it around my torso where the clubs struck me. The she grabs the bandage and places it over the blood spot on my right eyebrow. As Kasumi finishes patching me up, I look up to her face to see her calm and peaceful face. "Are you hungry? I made breakfast for you, it's in the fridge waiting." Kasumi asks softly. I nodded yes as I went to the refrigerator and opened it to reveal some pancakes with whip cream with a strawberry on top. Man, that is a good looking pancake right there. I sat at the counter eating my pancakes while my sister is making coffee. The men around me stare at her as if they are looking at a beautiful angel. I finished my meal and brought it back to the sink.

As I was about to head into my room, I felt something in my pocket. It was the black case from the woman in white earlier. Knowing that she could be searching for it at this moment, I grab my jacket and made my way towards the door. I shouted to my sister, "Kasumi, I forgot to do something! I'll be right back!"

She waves to me and said, "Don't stay for too long. Stay safe Kurokuu!" I left the cafe and ran towards the nearby Vale Police Department so she could find it there. I checked for the time and it was currently 12:06 in the afternoon. I ran as fast as I could to the station while accidently bumping into a few people along the way. I stop to take a breath as I have finally arrived at the station. I regain my composure as I slowly approach the door with the black case in my hands.

12:12:09

12:12:10

12:12:11

12:12:12

I open the door and entered but instead of the station, I was met with a desert land with a rainbow colored sky. 'Okay, what the hell just happened?!' I thought to myself. Am I just dreaming right now? I pinched myself to make sure, and yep I was wide awake. 'How did I get here? Is it this black case?' My thoughts were interrupted when I heard an electronic type music playing before a mysterious portal open up in the sky. Inside the portal, tracks came out of it along with a bullet train...? Well, that's something you don't see every day. The train gradually slows down to a halt. The door opens to reveal a woman in a weird latex waitress outfit with a tray in her hands. On said tray was a cup and a pot of coffee.

While she was pouring the coffee in the cup, she asks me, "Would you like a cup of coffee?" I silently nodded yes and accepted the cup of coffee. She walks back inside the train as the door closes. I see the train slowly taking off before going full speed ahead. I look towards the door before like back at the scenery one last time and closing it. After I closed it I look back and open the door again to show the police department again. That was really, really trippy.

* * *

 _In the sky, a portal opens releasing all of the yellow orbs into the sky. No one in Vale seem to notice them floating around. Then one of yellow orb descends towards abandoned warehouse with group of men in black suits and red ties inside. However, one stood out as he was wearing a black bowler hat, silver trench coat, gray scarf, and black glove and pants. He has a pale complexion and has orange hair and green eyes. The men in black look up to see the man in silver waiting for him to say something. He removes the cigar from his mouth and crushed it with his cane and said sarcastically, "Well great job boys, we only got four crates worth dust. Congratulation for being the most useless henchmen ever! Geez, I wish should've hired better men than you schmucks. Now onto tonight's plans."_

 _He starts to explain and plan for the next robbery coming up. They all agreed with the plan and left the warehouse, leaving only the man in silver. But while he was distracted, a yellow orb comes down and jumps inside the man. The man felt a jolt of pain in his body as he notices sand coming out of his clothes. The sand formed to reveal a bat looking creature with his torso on the ground and his legs floating above it. The creature then said_ _ **, "Tell me your wish. I will grant any wish. But you must pay me one thing."**_ _The man in silver looks surprised at the creature that spawn before him. But he took notice on what he said, anything he wants. He grins at the opportunity given to him._

* * *

I stood there in silence for a bit, still trying to comprehend if what I saw was real. I sighed stressfully before deciding to just go home. I think I had enough of this for one day. I pulled out the scroll and checked the time. But as I do so, I felt this jolt of pain in my body. Suddenly, sand start to pour out of my clothes as it formed into some kind of demon with its torso on the ground and its leg floating above it. 'What in Oum is that?!' I thought to myself as I slowly backed away from it.

The demon crossed his arms and said **, "Tell me your wish. And I will grant that wish, but you'll need to repay me back with one thing."** It's confirmed, the devil is real and he's trying to make a deal with me! Fearing what he might do, I kicked it in the face before running away from it as fast as I could. As I kept on running, I looked back and heard him say **, "Oi! Don't interrupt me when I'm-GAH!"** He couldn't finish his sentence as he was runned over by a car.

I kept on running until I decided to run and hide in the Vale Park. As I kept running, I thought to myself, ''What the hell was that! First I go into a desert and now a monster is trying to get me?! Can things get any worse!?' Sadly, my questions was answered when the three thugs from earlier came back.

They look in my direction with anger in their eyes as they slowly surround me. The two guys are armed with the same club while the big guy switches out his old weapon and replaces it with brass knuckles instead. The big guy said as he readies his weapon, "Well, well, well, look who's back. I think we have some unfinished business now that the stupid girl is gone."

My situation just got ten times worse. I tried to flee from them, but I was met with a club striking me in the back. I face planted on the floor before being picked up by the big guy. He secures his brass knuckles before punching me in the stomach repeatedly. Then his friends joins in and starts beating me with their clubs. As the torment went on, I thought to myself, ''Man, am I really gonna die like this?'

' **Sorry, buddy. But not on my watch.'** A random voice in my head said. Wait, what? A voice? I felt a menacing presence enter my body as I blacked out from the shock.

* * *

 _In the park, Mai was looking around for her missing pass to get on the Den-Liner. "Damn it, how the hell could I lose the pass!" She exclaimed loudly. She realized she lost her pass after her meeting with Mr. Ozpin about the new threat arising. Mai has been getting more and more anxious as she searches for the pass. As Mai continued looking around, she heard a cry of pain coming from somewhere in the park. She investigates the source of the cries as she finds Kurokuu, being attacked relentlessly by the the three guys again. She was going to intervene until she sees some sand coming out of his clothes. 'No, no way he's one of them.' She thought to herself as she witness what comes next._

 _A red aura surrounds Kurokuu as he pushes the three guys off of him. He stands back up but his appearance changed. His hair spikes up instantaneously with a streak of red hair visible. His eyes changed from dark brown to bright red. He looks towards them with evil intent as he shouts_ _ **, "Ore Sanjou!"**_ _The big guy was surprised as his sudden change in appearance, but quickly shrugged it off as he quickly went in for the punch. But, the possessed Kurokuu caught the punch with one hand. Then, he slowly crushes his wrist as the big guy slowly reels from the pain. The two other guys quickly snapped out of it as they charge at the possessed Kurokuu. The possessed Kurokuu lets go of the big guy's hand as he back kicks the guy in the red tracksuit before punching the guy in the green letterman jacket in the stomach._

 _The three guys huddled back together, waiting for the possessed Kurokuu to attack again. The big guy goes in for a straight punch, but the red muffler guy redirects his attack and punches him out cold. The two other guys fell to the ground in fear as they saw the strength of the possessed Kurokuu. Then, the possessed Kurokuu walked over towards the swingset and rips off a metal pole from it._

 _The two guys shivered in fear as the possessed Kurokuu walked towards them and said in a different voice_ _ **, "Man, I've been itching for a fight lately. I thought up of a cool hissatsu attack I could show to you guys."**_ _His aura flares uncontrollably as he raises his weapon in the sky. But instead of hitting them, his weapons stops mid-air. His hand shook uncontrollably as he exclaims_ _ **,**_ " _ **What the..how are you stopping me!?"**_ _Then the red aura quickly disappears as Kurokuu's hair and eyes return back to normal. He looks at the two guys, as they are still shivering in fear. Kurokuu fell onto the ground in shock after seeing the damage he has caused. As he looks around, he sees Mai looking at him. Kurokuu stares at her in fear before taking off in a random direction._

" _Hey, you! Wait!" Mai shouted before running after him. As she kept on running, she asked herself, "Is he...the one?"_

* * *

I ran towards the docks of Vale as I attempt to flee from the woman in white. I can't let her catch me, not after all the damage I caused. I sat against the wall of the warehouse as I reminisce about everything that happened today. 'What happened to me? What was that thing that controlled me? Why is all of this happening to me?'

I breathed heavily as I look at my surroundings. There were some shipping warehouses outside the where the docks were and there was a SDC ship containing some dust crystals if I had to guess. But then out of the blue, an Atlas guard flew out of the ship and onto the ground as a bat looking creature jumped off the ship with two crates of dust in its hands. I froze in fear as the bat creature dropped the crates down and made his way towards the injured Atlas guard. I closed my eyes as I knew what was gonna happen next, but then, I heard an explosion.

I open my eyes to see the woman in white firing arrows at the monster. She made her way towards me as she said, "Hurry this way!" She led me inside one of the abandoned shipping warehouse. As I look around for that bat monster, she grabs my shoulder and made me face her. She stares intensely as she said, "You. You're the one. The singular point. The one that can stop the imagins from destroying the flow of time! The Den-O!" Imagins? Den-O? Singular point? What nonsense is she saying?

Then sand came out of my body as the sand formed the demonic creature from before. The creature looked at me and the woman in white and said **, "Oi, oi, oi! He's a singular point?! Ahhhh, why out of all people am I stuck with this guy?!"** I fell back when I saw the demonic monster appearing out of nowhere. Then, I heard a window shattered as the bat monster from earlier found us.

The monster looked us and said **, "You wish to get in my way of my contract? Guess again!"**

She looks panicked as she said, "Damn, I wish I had my pass on me right now." Wait her pass? Does she mean the black case she lost? I pulled the black case out of my pocket and show it to her. Her eyes widen as she said, "You have pass the entire time? It doesn't matter know you need to fight it quick!"

I widen my eyes at what she said. I replied in pure fear, "Wait, what! Fight it? But, I don't know how to fight! How am I supposed to take that down?!"

She sighs stressfully as she picked me up off the ground. "You have the pass, don't you? Use it to henshin!" I look at the pass in my hands as I thought of what she said. Henshin? She pushes me forward and said, "Hurry and do it! I'll help you fight! Now HENSHIN!"

I closed my eyes as I shouted, "HENSHIN!" Then a belt appeared in front of me. The belt is colored silver and black. In the front of the belt, it has the same symbol like the one on the pass. On the left side, it has four colored buttons red, blue, yellow, and purple. I wrap the belt around me and used the clip to connect it together. Wondering at what I'm supposed to do, I look to the woman in white as she then points to the pass I have in my hands and gestures to the belt.

I did what she gestured and move the pass over the symbol as it made a weird sound. Then something came out of the belt and materializes into an armor that covered me head to toes. The helmet has a black visor with a single, silver train track running down towards the silver mouth piece. The bodysuit consist of the color black and silver as the armor casing is black with some silver to break up the color. The silver track design from the helmet continues down to my torso. My thighs, knees, and shins are plated with a silver armor guard while my forearms are plated with a white and silver armor guard. And lastly, the side of my belt have so parts for some type of weapon.

I was in shock at what just happened as I stare at my hands. I look back at her as she just shouts at me, "What are you waiting for? Go!"

I gulped at what she said, but my thoughts were quickly interrupted by the bat monster as he said **, "You..You're Den-O? I won't let you stop me!"** He then charged at me as he slashed at my armor. Sparks flew out as I felt pain from the attack he did. I stood back up as he charged again. I quickly retaliated and tackled him to the ground, but he had more strength than I did and overpowered me by lifting me in the air and pummeling me to the ground. I picked myself back up and saw a lead pipe on the ground. I pick the pipe up, raised to the top of my head, and struck downwards. The bat creature caught with ease and disarmed me before slashing me over and over again before kicking me to the ground.

I tried to stand up but I couldn't, the pain felt unbearable. He slowly walked up to me and said **, "How disappointing. And here I thought I overestimated you. I have a contract to finish, so if you could just lay down and die already, it would be greatly appreciated.**

I scoot back as he readies his claws. The demonic monster from earlier ran in front of me and said **, "Hey you are not hurting my contract holder! He may be weak, but I gotta keep his ass alive if I want to live."** The bat creature quickly disregarded him as he simply walked over him.

Then sparks came off of the bat creature's body as the woman in white shot a few fire dust arrows at it. She then shouts out, "Hurry! Hit the red button!" I looked around for the red button on the belt. I clicked on the red button and it played some type electronic music, the same music that the train from earlier made. The symbol was blinking red, waiting for me to swipe across it. Then I swiped the pass across the symbol as it called out.

 **SWORD FORM**

The demonic monster became translucent red and jumped inside me. Then, a few red pieces of armor flew around me as it combine together and covering my body. Then a red faceplate appeared, which is shaped like a peach, and connects with the helmet. The faceplate split apart, creating the eyes, as the points of the faceplate extends, creating the antennas. I felt the same presence from earlier inside me again. I watched as the demonic monster took over my body and said **, "Ore..futatabi sanjou!"**

The bat monster stares at the demonic monster and shouts **, "Are you a fool?! Have you forgotten about our mission!?"**

Then the demonic monster takes the pieces off the side of the belt and begins assembling it. As he does so, he said **, "You know, I never really listened to the job that we were supposed to do. But I can tell you this, from start to finish, it's always at the climax!"** He finished assembling the weapon which appeared to be a sword. The demonic monster shouted **, "Alright. IKUZE! IKUZE! IKUZE!"** I watched as the monster possessing my body rushed towards the bat creature and slashed it relentlessly. The bat creature reeled back from the pain before he was kicked in the face by the demonic monster. The demonic monster picked up the bat creature and threw him to the docks. As he picked himself off the ground, the demonic monster once again charged at the bat creature, swinging his sword wildly. The bat creature tried to take off but he grabbed him by his legs and pulled him down to the ground. The demonic creature in my body pulled out the pass and said **, "And now for the climax!"** He places the pass over the belt as it called out.

 **FULL CHARGE**

He throws away the pass as lasers came out of the belt and into the bottom of the sword. The demonic monster readies his sword as he said **, "Ore no hissatsu waza, part one!"** The blade glowed bright red before it flew off of the hilt. He swung the hilt diagonally and the blade followed his action and slashed the bat creature. The he swings again and again until he raises the hilt up and strike downwards. The blade cut through him like butter and the bat creature reeled in pain before he exploded. I processed what just happened in front of me. I destroyed the monster, technically the demonic monster did it, but I survived! " **Oi, kid you better thank me for saving your ass."** The demonic monster said.

'Thanks for saving me I guess. But now can you please get out of my body?' I asked him internally. He scoffed at what I said before disconnecting the belt. The armor dematerialized, leaving me holding the belt. I felt a sudden fatigue coming in and I fell onto my knees. The woman in white ran towards me and caught me before I face planted. I saw her lips moving but no words came out. I noticed that I'm starting to get tunnel vision and I slowly fell into deep darkness.

* * *

I slowly woke up from my slumber as I look around to see where I was. I was sitting in what looks to be a dining car of a train. I looked outside to see the desert landscape and rainbow colored sky again. In the dining car, there were four people and I recognize three of the four people. The woman in the white, who was sitting on a bench on my left, and the waitress from before, who was behind the counter. A person I didn't recognize is a man in a brown suit holding a cane, who was sitting at an isolated chair and table.

The last person however, is someone that everyone knows. He has light complexion with tousled silver hair and light brown eyes. He wears shaded glass spectacles and a small, purple, cross-shaped pin on the cowl around his neck. His outfit mainly consists of an unzipped black suit over a buttoned vest and green shirt. This is the Professor Ozpin of Beacon Academy, standing right in front of me.

Professor Ozpin walks towards my diection and sits down in front of me. "Excuse me Naomi, could I have some coffee please?" Professor Ozpin asks. The waitress, now named Naomi, nods in confirmation as she begins making the coffee. The Professor then looks at me and said, "Kurokuu Akarui, the singular point of this era." That word again what does it mean? And how does he know my name? "I understand if you had some questions about what is going on right now?"

I looked up at him and asked, "Well first, can you tell me where am I?"

"Kurokuu, you are riding on the Den-Liner. A train that travels to the stations of the past, present, and future."

"Stations of the past, present, and future? What do you mean?" I asked, confused by what he meant.

"It's exactly what he means. The Den-Liner is essentially a time traveling train." The man in the brown suit said. I sat in silence as I processed the information. What?! How is that even possible?! He saw the shocked expression on my face as he continued, "I understand this is a lot to take in, but this is very real. The Den-Liner is used as a means to take down the imagins that fled to the past." Imagins? Does he mean that bat monster from before?

I then ask the man in brown, "Excuse me, but what are Imagins?" Immediately after I asked my question, sand came out of my close and the sand reformed itself back into the demonic monster from before only this time he had a full body. I could see the details more clearly, his armor pieces were bright red with black fiery looking designs on it and his under armor is a maroon color. His waist had a bright red belt with a silver peach emblem on the front. He had a pure black eyes and has two horns sticking out of his head, giving him the demon motif. He sat at one of the benches with his feet kicked up on the table, ignoring the conversation.

Naomi places a cup of coffee for Professor Ozpin and a plate of fried rice with a flag on top to the man in brown. As the man in brown was eating, the woman in white join in on the conversation and said, "Imagins are monsters from the distant future where the all lost their physical bodies due to a change in the past. To gain their physical body they all fled back here to 2017 to make contracts with people. If said contract was ever completed, they could go back to the past through the contract holder's memory and cause chaos which would affect the future." Wait, that would happen if the bat creature completed the task with the dust? He could destroy everything! They're far more worse than the Grimms.

"Correct Mai." The man in brown suit said while eating his rice. "We have been trying to dispatch the Imagins for quite some time now, having Mai being in the frontline. But, with the numbers increasing we been having a problem. And that's where you come in."

"Me? Why me? Why can't it be someone else? What makes me so different from others?" I asked to the man in brown and Professor Ozpin.

The man in brown slowly eats his rice before the flag fell over. He gasped loudly before raising his hands to his face. His surprised expression changes back to his neutral expression as he stood up with his cane and walked to my direction. He stared at me intensely and said, "Kurokuu, you are what we call a singular point. You have the ability to resists an imagin's possession. Since you are a singular point, it also gives you the ability to wield the power of Den-O. Stopping the imagins from changing the flow of time."

I let the information sink in. I have the ability to stop these "Imagins" from changing the past to protect the flow of time. This is crazy. THIS IS CRAZY, EVEN FOR ME! Just what did I get myself into. But it's my new responsibility. I could always run away, but it's gonna catch up to me anyway. Guess there is no point in running, time to face it. The woman in white, now dubbed as Mai, said, "Kurokuu, I know this is a lot to take in, but the future is in jeopardy with these imagins and..."

"No, I understand. If these imagins are here to destroy the future, then I will do what I can to stop it." I interrupted Mai. She looks at me in shock at what I said, then she smiled. I smiled at her before looking back at the red monster.

The red monster looked at me before standing up and grabbing my shirt. He looked at me and said **, "Right, I almost forgot, tell me your wish! And I'll grant your wish."**

I was about to say something until Professor Ozpin intervened and said, "It's best if you don't tell him your wish. You don't wanna risk him trying to change the past."

The red imagin looks at him and shouts **, "Oi, shut up old man! It's strict business between me and him over here."** Professor Ozpin then glares at the red imagin, which made him uneasy. He slowly back down and said **, "Well, as long I get to fight something I will be fine."**

I suddenly noticed something then asked Professor Ozpin, "Wait, how do you know about the imagins? And why are you here right now?"

He took a sip of coffee before setting it down. He looks at me and said, "To answer your first question, I've known about the existence of imagins for quite some time now. And for why I am here, I have a proposition for you." Proposition for me? I wonder what it is. "Tell me, have you heard of Beacon Academy?" Wait, is he asking me..No, no way! I nodded yes as Professor Ozpin continued talking, "I would like to ask if you would like to join Beacon Academy. We can help you train to fight the Grimms and Imagins. I'm not forcing you to join, but it could give you an opportunity to help make you stronger."

A chance to be in Beacon Academy is something I thought it never thought would happen. But now that it's happening, should I go for it? I already accept my responsibility as Den-O, but I need to start somewhere. Might as well start with learning how to actually fight. I looked and Professor Ozpin before I told my answer, "Professor Ozpin, I accept your proposition to go to Beacon Academy and train."

He looks at me and smiles. "I see you made your choice. The next semester starts three weeks from now. I prefer you would take this time to train yourself." Professor Ozpin notified. The Den-Liner cries out loudly as the train slows down at its next stop. Professor Ozpin stands up and said, "Looks like this is my stop. I will see you soon, Mr. Akarui." He walks slowly to the dining car exit. I realized how much my life has changed at this very moment, the responsibility of Den-O now weighs heavily on me. But, all I need to do is keep moving forward and I intend to do so from this day forward. Once Professor Ozpin left, the Den-Liner started moving again.

I look at the remaining four people on the train, all sitting in silence. The man in the brown suit stands up and looks at me. "Since you are the new Den-O, you are allowed to use the Den-Liner as much as you want. But, only if you have the pass with you. Now I must get going and check on the other passengers." The man in brown suit said as he walks towards the exit. But just as he leaves, he turns to the red imagin. "And as for you, red imagin. You will stay here unless if Kurokuu calls you in for a battle. But as The Owner of the Den-Liner, if you cause any trouble on here, you will be denied access to the Den-Liner and get kicked out. You will wander for eternities in the Sands of Time. Understand?" The red imagin shook his head yes before looking away from the man in the brown suit, now dubbed as "The Owner." He looks back at me and said, "I'll see you soon Kurokuu." He exits the dining car leaving me with Naomi, Mai, and the red imagin left in the dining car.

I look at the red imagin and asked, "I never really asked but what is your name anyway?"

" **I never had a name. Oh and by the way, couldn't have thought of a better look than this! I look like a peach!"** The red imagin said in irritation.

I look at him and thought of what he said. I chuckled at the thought of the name I would give him, "How about Momotaros? Momotarou was my favorite Vacuan legend. And you do kind of remind me of him with the whole 'demonic peach' theme you got there."

He look at me angrily before he said **, "MOMOTAROS?! REALLY?! IS THAT THE BEST NAME YOU COULD COME UP WITH! COME ON THINK OF A BETTER NAME THAN THAT!**

Mai stands up and sits across from me and said, "I don't know but that name does fits you very well, Mo-mo-ta-ros." The red imagin, now named Momotaros, stood up and yelled in frustration before sitting far away from us. We both laughed at what happened before we settled down. Then train slows down before it came to a complete stop. Mai looks at me and said, "Well, this is your stop. We'll call if there is an imagin in the area. Take care!" I nodded at her before exiting the Den-Liner. I walked out to the desert to see a familiar door.

I opened the door which reveals to be the inside of the Milk Dipper Cafe. I closed the door before seeing Kasumi looking at the telescope, looking mesmerized by it. She turns and looks at me with her natural calm and serene face. "Oh Kurokuu, you are finally home! What took you so long?" Kasumi asked.

I look at her before I replied with, "Let's just say it's gonna be a long story."

* * *

 _Back at the abandoned warehouse, the entire warehouse is filled with crate of stolen dust. Out from the shadows reveals the same bat imagin from earlier, still alive. As he places the crates down, the man in silver walks up to him and said, "My, my, my, you have done quite a lot for me. You are far more useful than those stupid henchmen Junior gave me. But it's still not quite enough yet, we need to take all of the dust in Vale."_

" _ **I will do what you wish for, contract holder."**_ _The bat imagin said._

 _The man in silver then said, "For the last time idiot, the name is Roman Torchwick. It's not that hard to say. Never mind that, we got a job to do."_


	2. Chapter 2: Curiosity Killed the Cat

(A/N:) Hello and welcome back to Kamen rider Den-O: Remnants of Time. I've seen that you guys have enjoyed my first chapter, which I'm glad you did. And now here is chapter 2. Leave any comments on what I did wrong, I'm just starting out so a little criticism would be greatly appreciated and I hope you all enjoy!

I do not I own the rights to the series RWBY or Kamen Rider. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth Productions and The Kamen Rider Series is owned by Toei Company

"Normal Speech"

'Thoughts/Inner communication between OC and imagin'

"Third Person/Flashback"

"Imagin speech"

Edited: 7/28/2017

* * *

"Thank you for coming, please come again!" I shouted to the last customer as he left the cafe. I picked up the empty cup and brought it to the sink while Kasumi was closing the cafe for the night. It has been a week since I have learned about the existence of imagins and the powers that I have to stop them from destroying the future. So far at the moment, we haven't had any imagin attacks ever since the bat imagin incident back at the docks, so it's been quiet. Too quiet. Maybe I'm just thinking about this too much.

I sat at the counter table with Kasumi's food already set waiting for me. A nice hot steaming bowl of ramen just waiting for me to eat. I clapped my hands together, said my prayers, and devoured the ramen. As I was eating my ramen, Kasumi walks in and sees me eating. She sighs as she walks towards me and said, "Kurokuu, you need to eat your food more slowly. I don't need you to start choking while you're eating."

"Don't worry about me sis. I'm fine-" My words were interrupted as I choked on my ramen.

Kasumi pats my back and passes me a glass of water from me to drink. She looks at me in concern as she said, "Kurokuu, what would you do without me?" I stared at her with a pouting expression on my face. She giggles a little as she walks behind the counter and cleans the dishes.

After I finished my meal, I went to the sink and cleaned the bowl. I went back upstairs to my room and flopped down on my bed. I remember the conversation I had with my sister after I returned home for the Den-Liner.

* * *

" _Don't worry we have enough time. It's not like we have to head out somewhere, right now." Kasumi said. I preceded to explain about how Professor Ozpin is asking me to join Beacon Academy, but leaving out the Den-O and Imagin stuff to not scare her. She smiles with glee as she hugs me and said, "Oh my Oum, my little brother is gonna go to a huntsman school! I am so proud of you!" I was surprised at what she said because she didn't seem to question how he met me or why he let me in to begin with. But she was happy nonetheless._

* * *

The day after the talk with The Owner and Professor Ozpin, Mai started to training me. The first day was the absolute worst because of how she tossed me around like a rag doll. But, I did a little better as the day progress. It's a slow progression but I'll get there soon. I stopped reminiscing as my drowsiness is starting to get to me. My eyes fluttered as it struggled to stay awake. Eventually, I slowly succumbed to my drowsiness.

* * *

 _Back at the Den-Liner, Momotaros paced back and forth as his stress builds up from being stuck inside the train for hours on end._ " _ **AHH, THERE IS NOTHING TO DO ON THIS OUM FORSAKEN TRAIN! I NEED TO GET THE STRESS OFF ME!"**_ _Momotaros shouted loudly. He sat back at his bench until he notices Kurokuu's presence being weakened. Momotaros grins at the opportunity that was given to him as his body becomes translucent red. Momotaros arrived inside Kurokuu's room and sees Kurokuu sleep soundly. He chuckles sinisterly as he enters Kurokuu's body. Kurokuu's appearance changed into his Momotaros' possession form. Momotaros stretches his back and said_ _ **, "Finally, I'm free from that death trap. Now for some real fun."**_

* * *

 **Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time**

 **Chapter 2: Curiosity Killed the Cat**

* * *

I open my eyes as I sees the light seeping into my room. I stood up from my bed and stretched my body out. As I was stretching, I flinched as I felt a pain on my back. I rubbed my eyes and looked at my hands, as I noticed bruises on my knuckles. I thought to myself, 'Bruises again? Where are these bruises coming from?' I rushed towards the restroom and looked at the mirror. I notices bruises near my jaw and cheekbones. Scared about the condition I was in, I took off my shirt to see if there were more damages on my body, and sure enough there was. There were a bunch of bruises around my belly and chest. That was when I heard the Den-Liner's cry. I opened my bathroom door to check who entered my room, which is revealed to be Mai entering my room through the Sands of Time. She looks at me and said, "Kurokuu! Are you okay? Naomi told me that Momotaros wasn't on the Den-Liner earlier. So I came here to check on you."

"I've been asleep most of the time, I think." I replied uncertainly.

"What do you mean by 'asleep most of the time'?" Mai questioned.

"I don't know. I keep waking up in the morning with bruises and a bunch of liens that I never remember having. It has been happening to me for the last two days."

Mai's face was in deep thought as she tries to piece things together. Her face changes to realization and then anger. She clenches her fist and said, "That stupid red imagin! I came believe he did that!"

"What do you mean?" I asked Mai.

She looks at me and said, "Kurokuu, follow me to the Den-Liner. That idiot should be there by now." I grabbed the pass and checked the time. The time changed from 9:08 to 9:09 so we had to wait a few more seconds for the Den-Liner to come. I quickly put on a shirt as the seconds count down.

9:09:07

9:09:08

9:09:09

We opened the door at the same time and see the Den-Liner making a stop. We entered the door through the Sands of Time and headed inside the Den-Liner. We entered the dining car and see Naomi and Momotaros. Mai walked up to Momotaros and socked him in the face. Momotaros flinched from the pain and rubbed his nose. He looks at her and said **, "Oi! The hell was that for!"**

Mai looks at him with pure anger and said, "Don't play dumb with me. Why were you possessing Kurokuu's body while he is sleeping?!" Wait, what! He possessed my body while I was a sleep!?

" **I just needed to release some stress from being on this stupid train for hours on end. It works for the both of us. I get my stress and anger out, while Kurokuu here get free lien for the guys I beat up for him."** Momotaros said calmly. I was slowly getting angrier at the words coming at of Momotaros' mouth. I thought to myself, 'I can't believe at what he was saying. He was possessing my body to fight and steal people's liens on top of that?'

"But, that doesn't give you the excuse to possess Kurokuu at all!" Mai retorted.

I snapped and shouted at him, "So you think you can use my body at night to fight people and then steal their liens? This is outrageous! Momotaros, my body isn't just a disguise for you to walk around and do what you want while I'm asleep!"

Momotaros looked shocked from my sudden outburst. He stands up and looks to me face to face as he said **, "So what? That's not gonna stop me from possessing your body again."**

I chuckled at his remark and said, "That doesn't mean that I can stop you from possessing me. I could just get stronger on my own." Momotaros remained silent as I walked away from him. Then, I said to Momotaros without making eye contact with him, "You said you wanna know my wish? Maybe my wish is for you to leave me alone." And with that I exit the dining car.

* * *

 _At the docks, a group of faunus in uniforms are moving crates of stolen dust into their base. All of them wear masks that represents grimm. And on the back of their uniform shows a picture of a red wolf with a slash mark behind them, this notorious group is called the White Fang._

 _They continued moving the crates a tall faunus holding a battle hammer appears. Instead of donning the same mask like everyone else, he wears a grimm mask representing the nevermore. He looks at his men and said, "Hurry and pick up the pace, we don't have all night!"_

 _As the White Fang grunts were carrying the crates of dust out, a young woman was watching them from above. She has a pale complexion with amber eyes and black hair. She is wearing a black button vest with coat tails, a white sleeveless shirt that exposes part of her belly, white shorts with zippers on each legs, low high-heel boots with thigh high black and purple stockings, and a bow on top of her head._

 _She watches the White Fang grunts working as she begins to walk away from the scene. Suddenly a yellow orb flew down to her and entered her body. She felt a jolt of pain in her body as sand begin to leak out of her clothes. The sand forms into a lion imagin with his torso on the bottom and his legs floating above him._ " _ **Tell me your wish. I will grant your wish. But you must repay me with one thing."**_ _The lion imagin said. She is trying to comprehend what the thing is in from of her. But, she stops as she heard him mentioning something about a wish that he can grant for her. She ponders a bit about the situation she was in. She decided her fate as she uttered her wish to the imagin._

* * *

I got off the Den-Liner and returned back into my room. I was still fuming with anger at what Momotaros did. Mai followed me back as she wanted to check up on me. "Kurokuu, are you okay?" she asks.

"It's fine, I just need to clear my head. I just don't want to think about Momotaros right now."

Then inside my head, Momotaros shouted **, 'Oi, I can hear you you know?!'**

I blocked Momotaros voice out of my head. Mai then walks up to me and said, "Why don't we spar for it bit. It helps to get the anger out of your system." I nodded as Mai opened my window and jumped out so Kasumi doesn't suspect how Mai got in my room. I changed into my exercising clothes. My exercising clothes consist of a white tank top with a gray sweatpants with red lines on the side. I grabbed my pass and boxing gloves that I bought recently and left my room.

I dashed downstairs and to the door. I shouted to Kasumi as I opened the door, "Kasumi, I'm gonna go train with my friend. I'll see you later!"

"Okay Kurokuu! Try not to get hurt okay?!" She shouted back.

I saw Mai waiting for me outside as I walked out the door. Mai then asks, "You ready? We're gonna practice at the Beacon Academy's sparing room. I asked Professor Ozpin if it was okay to borrow the room and he gave us the go." I nodded as we walked to the Beacon Transportation Area. Since the Den-Liner already took off, we had to use the Bullhead to get to Beacon. We entered one of the Bullheads and waited until it took off.

We were sitting inside the Bullhead in awkward silence. Mai tried to break the silence as she asked, "Sooooo… how's your family? You don't seem to talk about them much." I sighed at the memory of my parents. She quickly picked up on that as she said, "Oh uh, If you don't want to talk about it it's fine."

I shook it off and told her, "No it's okay, I can tell you. My parents died when Kasumi and I were younger. I was really young at the time so I only learned about the news later in life. My grandparents took care of me and Kasumi for most of our lives until Kasumi decided to open the Milker Dipper. Kasumi and I lived together for the last several years until someone important came to our lives and..." My words fades as I try to remember what happened to him, but it's all a blur for some reason.

Mai looks at me and said, "You can stop, I won't make you talk about subjects you don't want to talk about."

I smiled at her considerate behavior. A question popped in my head as I asked her, "So how do you know about the Imagins?"

She was about to answer until she looked through the window and said, "Look! We're here!" I looked outside the window to see the towers of Beacon Academy. I was in awe of the sight of Beacon until Mai tapped my shoulders and said, "Come on, let's go!"

We got off the Bullhead and we were welcomed by a blonde woman. She has a pale complexion with blonde hair, tied up in a bun, and green eyes. She is wearing a white long-sleeved, pleated top that has a wide keyhole neckline and gauntlet cuffs that flare in pleats at the wrist, a black pencil skirt with bronze buttons, black stockings, ovular glasses, and black high-heels. She wield as riding crop, which makes me slightly nervous at what kind of person she is.

She adjusted her glasses closer to her eyes and said, "Hello Mr. Akarui, Mai. You must be the Den-O of this era. My name is Glynda Goodwitch, but please call me Professor Goodwitch. Follow me and I'll lead you to the sparing room." We listened to Professor Goodwitch as we followed her inside the Academy.

'This place is huge!' I thought to myself. I never imagine that I would be inside Beacon Academy for the first time. Professor Goodwitch opens the door to the sparing room. It looked like a normal school gym with the bleachers on both sides of the room. But, in the middle of the room, there is a boxing ring for students to practice.

"The ring is available for your needs. If you have any question, you can come talk to me in Professor Ozpin's office." Professor Goodwitch said as she left the room. Mai went into the locker room to change as I sat alone on the bleachers. I put on my boxing gloves and waited for Mai to come out of the locker room. She was wearing her black tank top and white gym shorts. We both entered the boxing ring, ready to spar.

She smashed her fist together while I put my arms up in a defensive position. Mai then asks me, "Ready for a match?" I nodded as we engaged in our spar. We circled around each other and waited for one of us to make a move. I made the first move with a straight punch to the face, but she quickly used my momentum against me. She moves to the side, grabs my arm, and judo throw me to the ground.

I picked myself back up as Mai said, "Come on, keep your guard up!" We circled each other once more, but this time Mai made the first move. She goes for a left hook, but I blocked her attack and locked her left arm as I made jabbed her in the stomach. Mai recovers from the initial attack as she gets back into position. I roundhouse kicked her, but she caught it and threw me to the ropes. I picked myself up once again and charged in for a hook. Mai blocks my hook as she went in for a straight punch to my face. I reeled from the pain as Mai charged and kneed me in the stomach. She then took advantage of the state I'm in and sweep kicked me. I fell to the floor, feeling miserable for being defeated so quickly.

She walks up to me and helps me off the ground. As I dust myself off, Mai complimented, "You gotten a little better than yesterday. Although you need to work on your stance and defense a little more. But you're progressing quite fast."

I scratched the back of my head and said shyly, "Thanks, I guess. I'll do my best to get stronger." Mai looks at me and smiles at what I said.

We were getting back into our position until Momotaros' voice is heard in my head. He said **, 'Oi Kurokuu, I smell an imagin.'**

"Really? Where?" I asked Momotaros. Mai notices me talking to Momotaros so she waits for us to finish our conversation.

Momotaros replies **, 'The imagin is in the city somewhere. The imagin already made a contract with someone.'**

I nodded before looking at Mai and recited what Momotaros said, "Mai, there's an imagin in the city somewhere. It already made a contract with someone."

She nods as she checks the time. She grabs my arm and said, "Hurry the next station is coming soon, we could use the Den-Liner and get to Vale faster." I nodded as we ran to the locker door and opening it to enter the Sands of Time.

* * *

Inside the Den-Liner, Mai and I sat down at the bench, waiting for the next stop. Momotaros stood up with anticipation as he said **, "Alright! Finally a fight! I've been waiting for this!**

I said to Momotaros without making eye contact, "Sorry Momotaros, but you are not fighting anything."

He stops dead in his tracks at what I said. Momotaros walks up to me and grab my shirt as he said with anger **, "What was that? Who said that I can't fight huh?"**

I looked to him dead in the eyes as I said, "I did. You are not going with me after the stunt you pulled. I'll handle the imagin."

Momotaros was baffled at what I said. He then said **, "Oh really! You're still pissed off about that?! Fine, but don't come crawling to me when you're in pain and need my help."**

"Don't count on it." I replied. The Den-Liner starts to slow down as Mai and I walked to the dining car exit. I looked back at Momotaros before exiting the Den-Liner.

We went through the Vale Police Department door to leave the Sands of Time. As we walked through the streets of Vale, I noticed the concerned look on Mai's face. I turned to her and asked, "Hey, what's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Mai replies, "I just..I know that Momotaros can be a pain but are you really not gonna ask him for help?"

"Momotaros needs to understand that my body isn't his disguise for him to do as many bad things as he wants. And besides, I think the training you gave me should help me hold my own."

"Okay I trust you with this, but be careful. I assist you if anything goes wrong. I just don't want you to get hurt."

I smiled at her concern towards me and said, "It's fine. Now, come on, we got contract holder to find."

* * *

 _The woman in black wandered the city as she tries to get that dream out of her head. 'Was that really real?' She thought to herself. As she walks around, she notices someone passing out newspapers relating to the White Fang. She buys one off the guy and checks the news. As she reads the paper, her eyes widen at the headline. The headline says "White Fang Attacked by Lion Creature." She realizes that the dream she had was real. She told her wish to that thing and now the White Fang was being attacked, and it's all her fault. She panics as she runs through the streets of Vale, until she bumped into Kurokuu and Mai._

 _Kurokuu held his hand out and said, "Are you okay, I'm sorry if I wasn't looking where I was going."_

 _The woman in black said, "No, it's fine. It's my fault as well. Well, goodbye." She walks away from them as sand spilled out of her clothes._

* * *

Our eyes widen as we see sand coming out of the woman's clothing. We looked as each other until Mai said, "You think of what I'm thinking?"

"Follow the contract holder? Yep I know what you're thinking." I replied. We both followed her while hiding in the crowd. The woman in black was walking faster and faster as we got closer. The crowd was slowing us down too much so we decided to run after her. We kept on following her until she led to an abandoned warehouse.

"I swear what is it with people and warehouses these days." I said as we analyze the building .

Mai points at an open window at the side of the building. She exclaims, "Look a window. Let's watch from there." I nodded as we crouch walked to the window. We looked through the window as we see the scene unfold.

The woman was pacing back and forth as she said, "No. No way that could be real. Maybe it's just a coincidence. Right?" She was then interrupted as sand came out of her clothes. The sand formed into a lion imagin.

She stumbles back as the lion imagin says **, "Your wish has been granted."**

"No. This isn't what I wanted. I wanted stop the White Fang from what they are doing!" The woman in black said.

The lion imagin replied calmly **, "Yes and to stop them, you need to spill some blood. Now contract complete."** He places hands between her chest as she was split in half. The lion imagin enters her as the hole in the woman closes. Mai and I dashed to her aid as she fell on her knees.

I asked Mai, "What the hell just happened?"

"The imagin just jumped through her memories." Mai answered. She held up a ticket to her face as the picture reveals the lion imagin with the date of 2/11/2017. She then asked her, "Excuse me, do you recognize this date?"

The woman's face remains emotionless as she said, "That date. It was the day I left the White Fang. I left my partner on the train after a fight we had with a Atlesian Paladin. The look on his face as I just left him alone."

Mai stood up and passed me the ticket. She said with a serious face, "Use the Den-Liner to travel back to this date. Stop this imagin from destroying the past and changing the future!" I nodded yes and slipped the ticket in the pass. The belt appears around my waist as I connected it.

I raised the pass to my face as I said, "Henshin." I swiped the pass over the symbol as the armor materializes around me. I heard the cry of the Den-Liner as I see it entering our time period. I exit out of the warehouse and entered the Den-Liner. Then I arrived at a room which had a screen that reveals what is in front of me and a white and blue motorbike, the Den-Bird. I hopped on the Den-Bird and insert the pass in the bike. I revved the motorbike as the Den-Liner speed up, heading towards our destination.

* * *

 _February 11, 2017_

 _It was the Forever Fall Forest. The blood red leaves falls slowly to the ground. The air is cold and crisp. And on the ground reveals a set of tracks. Then, a SDC train passed by as gunshots radiated throughout the forest. And standing inside the Forever Fall Forest, is a man. He dons a brown trench coat and brown hat the covered his eyes. He pulled out a stopwatch as the minute hand moved forward. He then heard a cry from a familiar train he knows. He looks up as he sees the Den-Liner entering the past. Not wanting to interfere, the man walked away from the scene._

* * *

The Den-Liner entered to what seems to be the Forever Fall Forest. Above us was a Schnee Dust Company Train, and on the train reveals two individuals. The contract holder from before and another person. I jumped off the train and onto the SDC train. As I got closer to them, I was able to make out the other guy's appearance.

He has a red hair that is spiked backwards. A portion of his hair is red while the back of his hair is mostly brown and on his head reveals to be two bull horns. He is wearing a long-sleeved black trench coat with slit sleeves and more red designs and a white symbol on the left side. His trench coat is red on the inside with red flame-like accents at the bottom and a large emblem on the back, with a white tulip design covered by a red rose design. He also wears long black pants, shoes and glove. On his gloves has the symbol of the Greek Letter Ω (Omega). And on his face reveals to be a whitish-tan mask with red designs and four slits on his mask for him too see.

They were both fight some Atlesian Paladins until the woman in black stopped in place as sand came out of her clothes. The masked man turns to her and said, "Blake! What's wrong!?" The sand formed into the lion imagin as he destroyed the Paladins with ease. The masked man was surprised at what happened until he focused his attention to the imagin instead of the robot. He pulled out a black and red katana out of his sheath and said menacingly, "I don't know what you are but if you interfere with my plans, I will cut you down like everyone who opposes me."

I jumped out of hiding and struck the lion imagin in the face, knocking him off the train. I shouted to them, "Go! I'll hold the monster off!"

The masked man walked up to me and points the sword at my neck as he said, "You don't get to tell me what to do you filthy human!"

He raised his sword ready to attack me until the woman, now dubbed Blake, said, "Adam stop! There's no point in killing him. Let's just do our mission and the guy in the suit can get himself killed by the monster." The masked man, now named Adam, growls in anger as he slowly sheath his katana back. They both run off to deal with the attacking Paladins on the train. I jumped off the train and wandered in the forest looking for the lion imagin.

I wandered throughout the forest, still trying to find the lion imagin. I stopped in place as I heard movement behind me. I turned around seeing nothing there until I heard a subtle growl behind me. I turned around, only for the lion imagin to jump out and slash my chest. I fell to the ground as the lion imagin grabs my armor and scrapes me along the ground. The lion imagin stops for a moment until he picks me up throws me into a tree, snapping it in half. I grumbled in pain as I picked myself off the ground. I charged at the imagin and punched him in the stomach. The lion imagin didn't flinch as he grabbed my arm and threw me into the ground. I kicked him in the face before I did a series of punches and kicks to slow him down. The lion imagin reeled in pain for a bit until he dashed towards me and punched me straight in the face.

I tried to pick myself back up but I couldn't because of deep pain I'm feeling. Momotaros then appears in front of me in his sand form. He looks worried as he said **, "Oi, oi Kurokuu. You can't handle him anymore. Just switch in with me and let me take over!"**

I picked myself off the floor and stood on my knees. I growled in pain as I said, "Then promise me one thing. Promise me that when you possess my body, you will not use my body for your personal gain. Promise me that when you possess my body, you will do it only to help people in need."

Momotaros grumbles as he said **, "Alright fine, I promise now just switch out already!"**

"Where's the 'I'm sorry?" I said to Momotaros.

Momotaros grumbles before he took a deep breath and shouts **, I'M SORRY!"** Without wasting another second, he jumped into my body. Momotaros clicked the red button on my belt as it played the electronic music. The symbol was blinking red as Momotaros said **, "HENSHIN!"** He swipes the pass over the symbol as the belt called out.

 **SWORD FORM**

The red armor pieces flew around him as it covered the torso. Then the red faceplate lands on the tracks on my helmet as it slid down and split partly. The henshin process was complete and Momotaros said his quote **, "Ore Sanjou!"** The lion imagin growls at him while Momotaros assembles his sword. He finish his sword and said to me **, "You know, you have got be the most stubborn guy that I have ever met so far."**

I chuckled a bit as I said to him, 'Yeah I guess you're right about that.'

He chuckles back as he said **, "Well at least you know how to get a point across. Now IKUZE IKUZE IKUZE!"** Momotaros charges at the lion imagin and slashes him across the chest. He reels in pain as Momotaros kicks him in the stomach. The lion imagin stumbles back before he recovers and dashes towards Momotaros once again. He slashes Momotaros over and over again until he kicks him to the tree. Momotaros growls in pain as he picks himself back up and dash towards him again. The lion imagin was about to slash Momotaros again until Momotaros slid across the ground and slashed him in the stomach. The lion imagin clutched his stomach and sand spilled out of his wound. Momotaros pulls out the pass and said **, "Heh heh heh. Finally, now for the climax!"** He places the pass in front of the belt as it called out.

 **FULL CHARGE**

Momotaros throws the pass to the ground as lasers come out of the belt and into the sword. The sword glows bright as Momotaros chuckled a little as he said **, "Ore no hissatsu waza, part two!** He swings the hilt of the sword again and again as the blade slashed the imagin over and over. Momotaros shouts a battle cry before raising the hilt upward and back down. The blade flies upward and back down, cutting the imagin in half. The lion imagin cried out in pain before he exploded. Momotaros chuckled at the work he did. He said to me **, "Well, now that's done with. Let's go back?"**

'Right, let's go home.' I replied.

* * *

We made our way back to the present as we see a group of Vale Policemen outside the warehouse. Mai and Professor Ozpin is seen guarding Blake's unconscious body. Professor Ozpin? Why is he here for? Momotaros walks up to them and asks **, "So, how's the girl?"** His question was answered when Blake slowly regaining consciousness.

Her eyes open as she sits back and looks at us. She instantly recognizes Mai and Professor Ozpin, except me and Momotaros since we are still wearing our armor. She looks around and asks, "The Headmaster of Beacon? Why are you here? Who are these people?"

Professor Ozpin crouches down next to her and said, "It's okay, These are my companions. If it's okay, I would like to talk to you after this gets sorted out?" Blake nodded yes as she walks away from us. Professor Ozpin walks up to Momotaros as he said, "So this is the Den-O armor. If you don't mind 'Momotaros' I would like to talk to Mr. Akarui."

Momotaros complies as he disconnects the belt and leaving my body. I stumbled to the floor in pain as Mai helps me up. I stood back up with the help of Mai and asked Professor Ozpin, "So what would you like to talk about sir?"

"Well, I was wondering if anything happened in the past regarding her history." Professor Ozpin asked.

I replied, "Well, she explained that she was with the White Fang and that she left a month ago. I was at the day when she quit the White Fang."

"I see. Well, I'll go talk to her myself. Good work, Kurokuu." Professor Ozpin said. I nodded to him before he walked away with Blake doing whatever he's gonna do with her. I held my side as it was aching for the fight with the lion imagin.

Mai picked me up and said, "Easy there. Come one, let's go back to the Den-Liner and patch you up." I nodded as I took out my pass and Mai opened the door.

* * *

Mai and I were on the Den-Liner as Naomi was patching me up from the battle with the lion imagin. Naomi takes a cotton ball, coated with rubbing alcohol, and rubs it across the bleeding cut mark on my face. I flinched as the rubbing alcohol stung my face. As that was going on, Momotaros sat away from me while Mai sat across. She looks concerned as she asked, "Kurokuu, did anyone in your family unlock your aura?"

"Aura? What's aura?" I asked out of curiosity.

Mai took a deep breath and said, "Aura is a manifestation of our soul. It bears our burden and shields our heart. Aura can heal our wounds and with practice, it could increase our physical performance. All living things have a soul, including Imagins like him." She points at Momotaros before he looked away.

"Do Grimms have an aura?"

Mai replied quickly, "No, grimms don't have a soul so they are incapable of generating aura. Everyone has a unique aura and overtime we can unlock our semblance. A power unique to one another."

"What's your semblance?" I asked Mai.

She had a thinking expression on her face before she smiled and said, "I'll keep that a surprise." I cringed at the answer she gave me until she said, "Do you want me to unlock your aura? It could help you when you are fighting the Imagins." I thought about her request. 'Should I do it? I don't see why not, it could help me survive longer in a fight so I might as well.' I nodded yes as she places her hand on my chest. Her aura shines black as she said, "For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee."

I feel a powerful aura covering my whole body. My aura shines white as I looked down to my hands. The cuts on my hands healed instantaneously and my body feels less sore than before. I stood up and stretched my back feeling much better than before. "Thanks for unlocking my aura Mai." I thanked Mai, as she has a smile on her face. I looked to Momotaros who was sipping a cup of coffee with whip cream on top. I walked up to him and said, "Hey Momotaros. Sorry about what I said in the morning. I was kinda just mad."

" **Mad? No not even close. But it's my fault, I'll try not to possess you for my fun."** I sighed with relief at what he said, fearing that he might hold something against me. He stood up and said **, "But don't call me 'Momotaros.' Just give me at least a better name than that."**

I simply replied with, "Nope."

Momotaros grumbled at what I said before he chuckles. He ruffles my hair as he said **, "You really are stubborn aren't you."** I laughed at what he said until Mai, Momotaros, and Naomi joined in. Momotaros shouts out **, "Naomi! Can I have a another cup of coffee please."**

"Can I have some coffee as well please." I asked Naomi.

"Yep! Two coffee coming right up!" Naomi said cheerfully. I sat back down as I looked out in the rainbow colored sky. Just two more weeks until Beacon Academy. The anticipation is killing me right now. I still need a weapon since I obviously can't use the Den-O armor in the public. I guess I'll worry about that later. For now, I think I need to slow down.

* * *

 _Outside of the Den-Liner, a yellow orb follows the train. It looks at the people inside, specifically Kurokuu._

" _Ah. What a nice fish I have caught." He declared._


	3. Chapter 3: Mind If I Reel You In?

(A/N:) Hey everyone welcome back to another chapter of Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time. I hope you like the last chapter. If you're all wondering when we will the story get into the RWBY canon. The story will be in canon in the next chapter. As always leave your reviews on how I did and I hope you all enjoy.

I do not I own the rights to the series RWBY or Kamen Rider. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth Productions and The Kamen Rider Series is owned by Toei Company

"Normal Speech"

'Thoughts/Inner communication between OC and imagin'

 _"Third Person"_

 **"Imagin speech"**

* * *

 _It was a normal day on the Den-Liner and Naomi was serving Momotaros and Mai coffee. Naomi covered Momotaros' coffee with red whip cream. She places the cup of coffee down as she said, "Here it is! The Momotaros style coffee!"_

 _Momotaros looks at the coffee before he said_ _ **, "Wow it looks great!"**_ _He sniffed it a bit before he drank the coffee, leaving a whip cream mustache on his face._ " _ **Mmm..Delicious."**_ _Mai was sitting calmly as she looked outside the window. Momotaros stops as he sniffed around for something. He then asked to everyone_ _ **, "Hey guys. Do you smell something?"**_

 _Naomi replied gleefully, "You must have smelled my special ingredient in the coffee! It is-" She was quickly interrupted by Momotaros. He sniffed arounds some more and stood up. He looks around and said_ _ **, "I smell an imagin?"**_

" _Idiot, the only imagin here is you." Mai retorted._

 _Momotaros said as he sat back down_ _ **, "Eh, I guess you're right. I just noticed where's Kurokuu? I haven't sensed him for a while."**_

 _Mai quickly replied, "Well Kurokuu told me he was going to a blacksmith shop to get himself a new weapon since he can't use the Den-O belt in front of the students at Beacon."_

" _ **Well he could've asked me to borrow my weapon."**_

" _Wait you have a weapon?" Mai asked in skepticism._

" _ **Yeah, I keep my weapon hidden within my aura. I can summon it anytime I need to."**_ _Momotaros said. He raised his hands as red aura took form of a sword. It had a red hilt with a black flame design covering it. The sword has one large blade with the same black and red design like the hilt. He held it over his shoulder as he said_ _ **, "Yep and this is my Momotarosword! You know I could let Kurokuu use it. Nah, his problem not mine."**_ _Momotaros said before he took another sip of his coffee. But strange, he still feels another imagin presence nearby yet he can't see it._ ' _ **Where is that imagin's scent coming from?'**_

* * *

I walked out of the shop, upset about the prices of those weapons. 'Why can't I ever get good things for a cheap price?' I thought to myself. Vale was once again quite peaceful today, even with the thousands of imagins hiding somewhere. I crossed the street and checked the time on my scroll. It was currently 1:32 in the afternoon, I guess I should go back to the Milk Dipper since I don't have enough liens for a new weapon. I turned off my scroll and continued walking until I heard a car honk. I turned to the source of the sound to see a black limo with the SDC logo on the side. The limo was about to hit a faunus child who was reckless crossing the street to get his ball.

My eyes widened as I dashed towards the boy and shouted, "Kid, watch out!" I pushed the kid out of the road as the limo ran straight into me. My body hit the ground hard as I laid there in pain. The limo door open to reveal two people coming out. One is has a slight tan complexion and is slightly overweight. He has brown balding hair, brown eyes, and a brown bushy mustache. He is wearing a butler suit with a blue tie and a small pocket watch coming out of his pockets.

The other person was a girl with a extremely pale complexion with blue eyes, white tied up hair on the right, and a scar on her left eye. She is wearing a thigh-length strapless dress with faint color gradation from white to pale blue at the hem. A small piece of black lace sits in the front of her neckline and the hem of the dress is scalloped and stitched to resemble snowflakes, with layers of white tulle under the skirt. Over this she wears a bell sleeved bolero with the same color gradation as her dress from shoulder to wrist, lined in red and with a ruffled collar. On the back of the bolero is the Schnee Crest. She also wears a small apple pendant in a silver chain and thin, rectangular silver earrings. Her boots are white, wedged heeled and higher at the back than the front. They have a small silver decoration across the top of the foot and are lined in red. A thin white sash is tied around her waist with a pouch attached to the back. I recognize her, Weiss Schnee of the Schnee Dust Company.

The man in the butler suit asked concerningly, "Young man are you alright?" His voice slowly fades out as my vision started to become blurry. 'Damn, is my luck this bad?' I thought to myself. ' **Well, it looks like the fish caught the bait. Sleep tight.'** Wait, who was that. I felt another presence enter me. It felt completely different than Momotaros. I wasn't able to stay conscious anymore as I slowly succumbed to the darkness.

* * *

" _Klein, what's his condition?" Weiss asked._

 _The butler, now named Klein, said, "He seems to have blacked out Ms. Schnee. What would you like me to do with him?"_

 _She analyzed the scene in front of her. 'People would hate me and the company more if I just left him here to die' she thought to herself before looking at the guy. She could sense a strong blue aura surrounding him as his aura actively try to heal him. Is he a huntsman as well? She also notices sand coming off his body. 'Strange, well I can't let the company looking bad.' Weiss though as she looks to Klein and said, "Bring him to Vale Mercy Hospital. We can't let him die."_

 _Klein's eyes changed from brown to red as he said in a different voice, "Yeah, yeah I got it. This idiot almost got himself killed to save someone. I don't know if he's either brave or stupid."_

" _I don't know Klein. I don't know."_

* * *

 ** _Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time_**

 ** _Chapter 3: Mind If I Reel You In?_**

* * *

" _ **Another imagin! He just possessed Kurokuu!" Momotaros announced.**_

" _Wait what! Another imagin entered Kurokuu? Where is he now?" Mai asked urgently._

" _ **Just give me a moment. I'm trying to find his aura signature!"**_ _Momotaros said as he tries to focus on where Kurokuu is. Mai groans as she decided to get off the Den-Liner to find him herself. Mai opened the door out of the Sands of Time and back into the city of Vale. She was in front of Tukson's Book Trade and she starts to dash towards the Milk Dipper Cafe hoping that Kurokuu is there._

 _She took a deep breath as she finally made it to her destination. She slowly walked up to the door and was about to open it until Kurokuu's sister opened the door first. She looked surprised as she said, "Oh hello, I'm sorry but the Milk Dipper is closed at the moment. You could come back another time."_

" _Oh no, I was just wondering if Kurokuu is here?" Mai asked politely._

 _Kurokuu's sister looks at her as she said, "White cloak...black quiver with a clock design...Oh you must be Mai, my younger brother's trainer and friend. My name is Kasumi and right now I'm about to meet him in Vale Mercy Hospital right now. Seems like he got himself in an accident."_

" _Wait an accident! What happened?"_

" _It seems like a limo was about to hit a child until Kurokuu saved him but got hurt in the process. Would you like to come?" Mai nodded as they both walked calmly to the hospital. Mai looked at Kasumi's face. She looked so calm in a situation like this. "So how did you and Kurokuu meet?" Kasumi asked._

" _Well I met him when he was attacked by a group of armed thugs. I was able to scare them off and save Kurokuu before things got worse. We met again when I was in trouble and he was able to fend off my attackers. I saw his potential and brought him to Professor Ozpin himself." Mai lied. Although some of it was true, Mai didn't want to tell Kasumi about the Den-O and imagin stuff._

" _Oh I see. Sorry if he could be a handful sometimes. He has a knack for getting himself in trouble. Thank you for helping and training him." Kasumi said gratefully._

 _Mai nodded yes to the token of gratitude Kasumi gave. She then asked, "So Kasumi, you took care of Kurokuu for most of Kurokuu for most of your life right?"_

" _Yep, our grandparents took care of us for awhile until I reopened the Milk Dipper. And since then, I've been taking care of Kurokuu. Our grandparents and I did our best to take care of him. We just didn't want him to grow up with resentment and hatred because of what happened to our parents. But I'm glad to he grew up to be a good kid."_

" _Yeah, he's a good guy. He rarely thinks about himself and thinks more about others. That's something very admirable of him." Mai said._

 _Kasumi then asked, "So what about you? Do you have any family members? Mom? Dad?"_

 _Mai's face changed as she said to Kasumi, "Frankly, I don't know. You can say something happened to them and I never saw them again." Mai remained silent until Kasumi wrapped her arms around Mai. Mai tried to resist but she stops as she embraces the hug that she received. Strange, this felt so warm and familiar to her for some reason. Kasumi let go of Mai as she said said, "I'm sorry if I dropped a load on you for no reason."_

" _No it's okay. I understand how you feel about not knowing where your family is. I should be apologizing for bring it up." Kasumi said._

 _Mai took a deep breath as she said, "No it's fine, you've actually helped me feel a lot better now. Thank you." Kasumi nods as she points up to the tall building and said, "Look we're here come on. Let's go check up on Kurokuu." They were about to enter until Mai noticed she stepped on something. She picked it up as she realized it was some sort of pendant shaped like an apple. Mai decided to keep it on her if someone was looking for it._

 _Mai and Kasumi made our way to the front desk and asked where Kurokuu is. She gives them the room number as they made their way to Kurokuu's room. Mai and Kasumi were in front of the door as they heard giggling on the other side. 'Giggling?' Mai thought as she opened the door revealing Kurokuu surround by nurses, but Kurokuu looked different. His hair remained relatively the same but it had a blue streak of hair hanging on the right side of his head, black rimmed glasses, and blue eyes instead of his dark brown eyes. Mai realized what is happening to him, he was being possessed. That's why Momotaros couldn't find his aura signature, because this imagin's presence is masking Kurokuu's._

 _She sees the nurses giggling and one of the nurses feed him. She had a spoon over his mouth and said, "Now say ahh~."_

" _ **Ahh~."**_

 _She finished feed him as one of the nurses said, "Is there anything you want? We'll give you special permission."_

 _The imagin in Kurokuu's body said_ _ **, "Want? Your love..I suppose."**_ _His voice is entirely different from Momotaros. This imagin's voice is more suave and calm, but just who is he? They all started to blush and giggle at what he said until he reached out and held one of their hands. He adjusted his glasses as he said_ _ **, "Ever since what happened to my family. All I had was my sister, but she got ill one day and passed. I felt so alone for all my life, but now being with you makes me feel at ease."**_ _They all started to cry at the story he made up. He then said_ _ **, "Mind if I reel you all in?"**_

 _They all started to squeal at what he said. Mai closes the door and turned to Kasumi. She looked puzzled at why Mai didn't enter. She then said to Kasumi, "Um.. Kurokuu is in critical condition at the moment so they won't let us in." Kasumi seemed to buy her story as Mai said, "Why don't you wait in the waiting room while I try to convince the doctors to let us in." Kasumi nods as she walked back to the waiting room._

 _Mai's faces changes from calm to anger as she opens the door. The nurses jumped as Mai said, "Alright pampering time is over. Everyone get out!" They all ran out the room in fear of what Mai was gonna do. She walked up to the possessed Kurokuu and said, "Okay who the hell are you and why are you in Kurokuu's body?!"_

 _He adjusts his glasses again as he said_ _ **, "Oh, so you know of our existence? Well I chose this contract holder for other reasons."**_ _Mai was ready to sock him until he notice him talking to himself_ _ **, "Oh another one I see."**_

 _She wondered why he was talking to himself. Unless...Yes Momotaros is getting to him! She notices his blue eyes changes to blood red as Momotaros entered Kurokuu's body regaining control. Momotaros grumbled as he said_ _ **, "Good riddance. Took me forever to try to knock you out of Kurokuu."**_

 _His eyes turned back to blue and his appearance changed._ " _ **Sorry, this body is too good to be thrown away. Just let me use it."**_

 _His eyes changes color again as Momotaros in Kurokuu's body said_ _ **, "Oh hell no, I got here first, he's not your contract holder!"**_ _Kurokuu's eyes and appearance kept changing back and forth. Mai thought that this had gone for too long. She raised her fist and punched Momotaros and the imagin so hard that they both got out of the body. Kurokuu's body went back to normal as he flopped down on to the bed, still unconscious. She sighed with relief as she sat on a nearby chair. 'Oh those two are gonna have a nice long chat.' She thought to herself as she went back to the waiting room to get Kasumi._

* * *

 _Weiss frantically looked around the scene of the accident looking for something important to her, her pendant. 'No I can't lose this. The last thing to remember her by. I just can't lose it!' Weiss thought as she looked around through the alley way. Suddenly a yellow orb descends down and jumps inside her. Sand came out of her dress as the sand formed into a crab-like imagin. In instinct, she grabbed Myrtenaster and pointed the blade at the crab imagin and said, "What are you vile creature?!"_

" _ **Tell me your wish. I will grant that wish. But you must repay me with one thing."**_ _The crab imagin said. She lowers her guard as she thought of the proposition this imagin. 'This creature can grant me any wish I want? What if this is a trap?' Weiss pondered. But she doesn't have time for this she needs to find her pendant fast. She was about to stab the creature until she thought about the offer more. She needs her pendant back, she can't lose her last memory of her. And out of desperation, she told her wish to the imagin._

* * *

Man, why does everything feel so heavy? I opened my eyes to see that I was in the hospital bed. I looked around to see Kasumi asleep on a chair. Mai looked up and saw me awake. She said, "Kurokuu, are you okay?"

I stretched my back as I said, "I felt worse. But I think the aura is healing me quickly. Almost as if I don't feel the pain from the car."

"That's good to hear. But while you were knocked out, another imagin possessed you."

"Another one? That could explain why my body feels more heavy." I said to Mai.

Mai looks at me and said, "Will you be okay? It's just that having more than one imagin in a body could tire you quicker."

"No worries, I can handle it. Has my sister been here the entire time?" I asked Mai.

Mai sighed as she said, "Yeah I came with her when I was trying to find you. She's been watching you while you were unconscious the entire time."

I looked at Mai then back to Kasumi. I really need to stop making her worried so much. I saw the remote next to me and picked it up to turn on the tv. I said, "Let's just watch tv for a bit." Mai nods as I changed the channel.

As I changed channel after channel until I stopped immediately at the news. We both looked wide eyed as we saw the headline on screen "Monster attacks civilians in Vale." We turned off the tv as I said, "Another imagin attack?" I said before I picked myself off the bed. My body felt relatively normal.

I was about to pick up my clothes until Mai stopped me and said, "No you are not going anywhere in that condition. You need to rest."

I pushed her hand off me as I said, "No, we can't let the imagin harm any innocents. I'll be fine now let's go." I grabbed my clothes and changed in the bathroom. I grabbed the pass and bolted out of the hospital to find the imagin.

* * *

 _In the Den-Liner, Momotaros and the imagin stared at each other. The imagin has a turtle motif, his armor is ocean blue while his under armor was cobalt, and his eyes are bright orange. He looks at Momotaros as he said_ _ **, "I know that the imagin's appearance depends on the contract holder's imagination but.."**_ _The imagin starts laughing as he continued_ _ **, "You look so ridiculous, peach boy."**_

" _ **Huh, funny thing coming from you, turtle boy."**_ _Momotaros spits back._

 _They both stared at each other again. Naomi was witnessing the entire scene play out. She looks at them both with amazement and said, "Wow. First come Momotarou. Now next should be Urashima Tarou!"_

 _Momotaros laughed at what she said. He calmed down until he said_ _ **, "Urashima Tarou. That actually sounds fitting actually. Right, Urataros?"**_

" _ **Urataros?"**_ _The imagin, now dubbed Urataros, questioned._

 _Momotaros put his foot on the bench as he said_ _ **, "Why not you and me duke it out? I actually want a good fight right now."**_

" _ **Here?"**_ _Urataros asked._

" _ **Where else can we be?"**_ _Momotaros answered._

* * *

Mai and I looked around for the imagin at the park, which was news stated that this was his last known appearance. We looked around a little more until I gave up and said, "The imagin is not here. Let's go check in a different area."

Mai nodded at my statement as we were about to walk away until we heard someone say **, "A pendant. Give that to me!"** We turned around to see the crab imagin slowly approaching us. He then asked again **, "I'll ask again. Give that pendant to me or you will lose your life."**

I looked at Mai as I noticed a pendant in her hands. I shouted to her, "Hurry! Run away with the pendant! Don't let the imagin get it!" Mai nodded as she ran away from me. I pulled out the belt around connect the belt around my waist. "Momotaros, let's go." I said before I hit the red button playing the electronic tune.

* * *

 _Momotaros hears the call as he knew he was gonna fight soon. He looks at Urataros before he said_ _ **, "Heh, you got lucky. But don't worry I'll come back for our fight."**_

 _Momotaros became translucent red as he disappears from the Den-Liner. Urataros laughed and said_ _ **, "Bye bye."**_

* * *

The red armor flew around me as Momotaros took over. The pieces combined and the face plate went on the tracks of my helmet. Momotaros posed as he said **, "Ore Sanjou!"**

As Momotaros was combining his weapon, the crab imagin said **, "So the rumors are true. The Den-O is real. No matter, I'll just simply kill you and move on with my contract."**

Momotaros finished assembling his sword as he said **, "Not unless I kill you first. IKUZE IKUZE IKUZE!"** And without wasting a single second, he dashed towards the crab imagin. The crab imagin expects the attack and dodges every single strike. Momotaros kept slashing the air as he said **, "Damn it hold still will you!"**

The crab imagin sidestepped and kicks Momotaros. Momotaros was knocked off guard as the crab imagin took this opportunity and slashed him again and again. Momotaros fell back as he was getting more and more frustrated. The crab imagin was about to strike Momotaros from above but Momotaros blocks it with his sword. He then kicks the imagin in the stomach and slashed him in the chest. The crab imagin tried to escape until Momotaros said **, "Oh no, you are not going anywhere!"** He kicks a large rock into the air and the rock hits the crab directly in the stomach, knocking him to the ground. The imagin reeled in pain as Momotaros took out his pass and said **, "Now for the finisher."**

 **FULL CHARGE**

" **Ore no hissatsu waza, part…"** Momotaros stopped as he felt pain coming from my body. He then fell to his knee and dropped his sword. The crab imagin took this chance and dove in the pond. Mai came back and witnessed the condition I was in. Momotaros said **, "Kurokuu what's happening to you?"**

'I can't keep my body running long enough. I feel so tired.' I said to Momotaros.

Momotaros grumbled as he disconnected the belt leaving me lying there, exhausted. I was about to hit the floor until Mai caught me and said, "Kurokuu are you alright?!"

"Just feel a little tired. I'm just gonna..." I wasn't able to finish my sentence as I fell unconscious.

* * *

 _Back at the Den-Liner, Momotaros returns from his battle with the imagin. He walks up to Urataros and said_ _ **, "Kept you waiting didn't I? Now let's get down to business."**_

 _Urataros sighs as he places his coffee down. He looks at him and said_ _ **, "My...I guess I don't need any bait to catch this idiot."**_

" _ **Oh you've done it know."**_ _Momotaros said with anger._

 _Naomi watches as she said, "The battle of the century. Momotaros vs. Urataros. Good luck!" She hid behind the counter, not wanting to get involved in the fight._

 _Momotaros grabs Urataros' neck. He laughs until Urataros snapped and said_ _ **, "That hurt, you-"**_ _Urataros grappled Momotaros, ready to throw him to the wall but Momotaros had more strength and threw Urataros to the bench. Momotaros charged at Urataros but he quickly kicks him back as a counter. Momotaros fell back to another chair as Urataros grabs him back the neck again ready to throw him. Momotaros and Urataros were in a locked position as Naomi cheered as they both threw each other to the counter. Momotaros did a quick hook to Urataros but he quickly blocked the attack and threw him to the wall. Urataros went in for the punch but Momotaros pushes him back and puts him against the wall. Urataros, with all his might, lifts Momotaros off the floor and onto the counter. Momotaros counters by kicking him on the side. They both grabbed each other, stuck in a locked position. Urataros breaks the locked position they were in an threw Momotaros into the wall again. Momotaros retaliates by pushing Urataros into the wall. The Den-Liner shook back and forth from the two imagins fighting each other._

 _They were ready to end the match before they heard someone approaching. They looked at the door as it opens to reveal Mai. Mai uses her bow, melee style, and clubs them both in the head. They both fell on the bench rubbing their head in pain. Momotaros noticed that Mai is carrying the unconscious Kurokuu. She places him down on the bench as she looked at the two imagins. She stares at them as she said, "Do you idiots even want to know what the Owner would do if he knew that you guys fought on the Den-Liner?!" She stood on the benches looking down on them. She grabs her arrows and places it on her bow. She looks sharply at them and said, "If you guys are gonna cause more trouble. I will gladly end the problem."_

" _ **Heh, stupid huntresses acting all high and mighty."**_ _Momotaros muttered. Mai heard what he said as she points the arrow them and fires. The arrow cuts through the air as it landed between Momotaros and Urataros. They both froze as the slowly looked at the air between them. He looks at Mai as he said_ _ **, "Don't you think that's bad?"**_

* * *

I hear mumbling of people talking. I slowly open my eyes to reveal that I was in the Den-Liner. Around me was Momotaros, Mai, Naomi, and what I assume to be the imagin the possessed me. Mai noticed that I was awake and she asked, "Are you alright? Do you feel fatigue?"

"No I'm okay. What happened to the crab imagin?" I asked.

"He got away before Momotaros could finish him off. It seems like he needed this." She said as she showed me a pendant.

Wait, where have I seen that pendant before. I tried to remember until it hit me. I grabbed the pendant out of Mai's hands as I said, "This pendant, this belongs to the CEO's daughter of the Schnee Dust Company!"

Mai looked at my as she said, "You mean Weiss Schnee? How do you know?"

"She was in the limo that ran me over. She was the one who called the ambulance and paid for the medical bills. I saw the pendant around her neck before." I start to ponder why would the imagin would want the pendant for until I realized something. I turned to Mai and asked, "Do you think she's the contract holder for the crab imagin?"

Mai ponders about my question as she realized it made sense. She said, "You're right. She must have made a contract to find the pendant. We need to make sure that she doesn't get this back until you and Momotaros handle him."

I nodded to Mai before I looked at the imagin. I asked him, "So I was wondering. Why did you possess me for?"

Mai joined in as well as she questioned him, "Yeah, why did you possess him. Didn't you know that….."

" **That he was a singular point? Yeah I know."** The imagin said.

Mai looked shocked as she asked, "If you knew he was the singular point, why would you lose your freedom just to possess him?"

The imagin replied with **, "Without limits, there are no merits."**

Momotaros looked confused as he said **, "The hell are you going on about Urataros?"**

Mai thinks about what the imagin, now named Urataros, said. She then realizes as Mai said, "So you chose Kurokuu for his merits. That means you would be safe. But what about your objective of changing the flow of time?"

Urataros chuckled as he said **, "Like I care about the objective. All I care is meeting you, Mai."** Mai looked away from him as he tries to flirt with Mai.

I sat back down as I realized something. I stood up again and shouted, "Crap! I left Kasumi back at the hospital! She doesn't even know I left!" I grabbed the pass and pendant as I shouted everyone, "Sorry guys, gotta go! Bye!" I bolted out of the Den-Liner and opened the door to my hospital room.

I closed the door as Kasumi looking out the window. It was currently night time and Kasumi is looking up to the stars in the sky. 'This brings back memories.' I thought to myself. I saw Kasumi shed a single teardrop and this made my heart stop. 'Wait does she remember?' I thought frantically. I calmed down and said quietly to Kasumi, "Kasumi, I'm back."

She looked at me as she said, "Oh Kurokuu there you are! Where were you?" She seemed oblivious to the teardrop stain on her face.

"I just had physical evaluation. I told them I was a huntsman in training, so they had to make sure I was okay." I lied. She nodded as she looked back at the stars. I walked slowly to her and asked, "Hey Kasumi why are you looking at the stars for?"

"I don't know. Looking at the stars gives me a comforting feeling." Kasumi replied. I sat next to Kasumi as she continued, "Don't you love the stars? How they all connect together to form big things. It makes them complete."

I look at her and asked, "Hey Kasumi, does this remind you of anything?"

"No, sadly it doesn't." She said calmly. I sighed in relief as she didn't remember yet. I can't let her go through that. Not again. Kasumi sat up as she said, "Well, since you're done with evaluation. I think we should go home." I nodded as we both made our way out of the hospital. As I walked out, I looked at Weiss' pendant. 'Why is this pendant so important to her?' I thought to myself as we walked back to the Milk Dipper.

* * *

 _Weiss sat quietly backstage after her performance. She locked her door not letting anyone in to disturb her. She stared at her reflection thinking about her pendant. She kept staring at the mirror until the crab imagin was behind her. He pulled out a random pendant Weiss doesn't recognize. Weiss nods her head no without looking at him. The crab imagin growled in anger as he said_ _ **, "Seriously!"**_ _He grabs her jacket as he said_ _ **, "What does the pendant even look like!"**_

 _Weiss answered emotionlessly, "It's pendant with silver chains. It's shaped like an apple."_

 _The crab imagin think about what she said until her remembered something. That girl in the white hood, she has it. The imagin chuckles as he said_ _ **, "Yes, the contract is almost complete."**_

* * *

My eyes slowly opens as the sun's rays came through my window. I slowly wake up and walked drowsily to the bathroom. I turned on the lights as I noticed kiss marks and hickeys all over my face. 'What the hell? Where did I get the hickeys from?' I thought to myself. I tried to figure out what happened until I remembered a certain imagin, Urataros. I dashed out of the bathroom and grabbed my scroll. I opened the camera app and looked through my photos. I saw Urataros in my body, hanging around and kissing girls. Oh god, this happened. I heard Kasumi calling me down for breakfast. I quickly put on a cream white sweater, jeans, black shoes, and a blue scarf to cover the hickeys. I walked downstairs as I see customers sitting quietly. I sat at the counter as Kasumi brought me my breakfast. As she sets the plate of pancakes down, she stares at my face intently as she asked, "Kurokuu, you look tired are you okay? Did you sleep well?"

I quickly replied and said, "Sorry, I just had some problem sleeping that night."

' **You can't help that the girls are all over me.'** Urataros said in my head.

I quickly ignored him as I said, "Don't worry sis, I'll be fine." I finished my breakfast and set it in the sink. I check the time on my scroll and said to Kasumi, "Hey I'm gonna go train with Mai! See ya!" I dashed out the door as I heard Kasumi shouting me to be careful. I pulled out my pass as I opened a random door and entered the Sand of Time. Then Den-Liner stopped so I can enter. Inside the dining car was Mai, Naomi, Momotaros, and Urataros. Mai was sharpening her arrows, Naomi was making coffee, and Momotaros and Urataros were staring angrily at each other. I walked up to Mai and asked, "Hey, did you find Weiss' location?"

"Well, she was in Vale for a performance and locals said that she was in Vale Grand Hotel." I nodded yes as Mai looked at my scarf for some reason. She then looked at my face and asked, "You seem tired are you okay?"

"Well, I didn't get much sleep until I found out the Urataros was possessing me to go out and get girls." I said as I stared straight into Urataros.

Urataros chuckled as he said **, "Hey don't blame me for girls liking your looks. But you'd be hopeless if I didn't use my words to reel them in."**

I had a deadpanned as I looked back at Mai and said, "Shall we go find her?" Mai nodded yes as we both hopped of the Den-Liner and exited the Sand of Time.

We both climbed out of the sewer out of all places. We looked around and realized we were behind the hotel building. As we dust ourselves off I said, "Mai, can't we have used any other door instead of the sewer manhole?"

"Hey this manhole is the closest to the hotel." Mai said.

"Let's go meet the contract holder."

We entered and asked the front desk clerks and asked for where Weiss' room is. They gave us the number and told us what floor the room was. We walked to the elevator and pressed the button to floor twenty-three. As the elevator opened, we were met with a long hallway with rooms. We walked through the empty halls as we looked for Weiss' room number. We stopped as we saw the door number on the door. I looked at Mai before I knocked on the door and said, "Um are you here? We would like to talk to you."

It was an awkward silence until the door opens to reveal Weiss slightly annoyed by our presences. She looks at me and Mai with the cold glare until she spoke, "Well if it isn't the tall, black, and shaggy. What do you want?"

I noticed there was some clumps of sand around her bedroom floor. I pretended to act oblivious as I said, "Hello , My name is Kurokuu and this is my friend, Mai. We would like to talk about some important issues."

"And what would that be?" Weiss said.

"Something involved with a crab monster." Mai said.

Weiss' eyes widened as she said, "I...don't know what you're talking about. I'm sorry but please leave."

Weiss tries to close the door on us until Mai stopped the door with her foot. Mai looks at Weiss and said, "Please this is important. If you know anything about the monster, we could stop it."

Weiss shouts loudly, "For the last time, I don't know! Just leave!"

Then I heard Urataros in my head saying **, 'Hey an imagin is near. Let me take over for you.'**

I repeated to what Urataros said, "Mai, Urataros senses an imagin near here. I'm gonna switch him in."

"No but wait!" Mai said before Urataros already possessed my body.

Urataros looked at Weiss and grins as he said **, "Ms. Schnee, I presume you are looking for a pendant of some kind?"**

Weiss' eyes widen at what Urataros said. As she said, "How do you know? Tell me where it is?!"

" **Well we can talk about it over lunch?"** Urataros said as he slowly reaches for Weiss' hands. He kissed her hands as Weiss blushes at what he did until Mai pulled on my scarf and slapped Urataros in the face.

"Is it really that fun to lie? Do you always lie to get what you want?" Mai said angrily.

" **Look what you did Mai. You scared the fish away."** Urataros said nonchalantly.

"You, all you do is lie. You are nothing but a filthy liar!"

" **A single lie makes life more interesting than a thousand truths, you know."**

"Running away from the truth is called lying!" Mai said to Urataros as she continues, "I absolutely hate liars. They are all nothing but a bunch of cowards." I sense some doubt from Weiss as Urataros conversation continues.

" **Hey maybe it's fun being a coward."**

Mai made the face of disgust as she said, "You are the worst."

Weiss started to look more and more guilty as she heard what Mai said. I heard Urataros said **, "Well my job is done. She's all yours."**

He jumped out of my body as I look at Weiss and said, "Please Ms. Schnee. Lives are at stake and if you know something about the monster, we can stop it."

Weiss had a face of guilt. She looks at me and said, "I think I might have something you would like to know about." Mai and I looked at her before she said, "Come inside. We'll talk privately." She opened the door fully letting us step in. The room was standard size. Complete with a king sized bed, a fancy bathroom, and a large flat screen tv. I saw a small table for us to sit in as Weiss sat on her bed.

The silence came back as we looked at each other. I broke the silence and asked, "So do you know anything about the monster?"

"Yes. You can say I made a contract with that thing." Weiss said quietly.

I then pulled the pendant out of my pocket as I asked, "Is this what you were looking for?"

"My pendant!" Weiss said as she grabbed the pendant. She looked at me with teary eyes as she asked, "Where? Where did you find it?"

"I found it in front of the hospital entrance." Mai said.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." Weiss said gratefully.

I looked at Weiss as she cherished her pendant as I asked, "If I may ask, why is that pendant so important to you?"

Weiss sighed as she said, "This pendant was a gift from my mother." Mai and I gasped at what she said. We calmed down and let her continue, "She gave this to me on my fifth birthday. My father always worked on the company while my mother stayed home and raised my brother and sister. It was a peaceful time until those monsters called The White Fang took everything from me." She said angrily. She starts to lose it as she said, "Those filthy faunus was hurting the company by stealing dust and money that we manufacture. Then they started to...execute people related to my company. They killed so many people I knew. Then my mother was publicly executed by the White Fang." She grips her fist as she said, "And ever since my mother's death, my life was empty, My sister was already in the army, my brother is always with my father. And my own father left me all alone."

She starts to cry as the teardrops fell on the pendant. I looked at her in a different light. I always thought based off of the news that she was the snotty rich girl who disregards everyone below her. But seeing her in some much pain, it reminds me of Kasumi. The pain they both went through, I can't stand looking at her like that. Out of instinct, I wrapped my arms around Weiss as she was crying. She looked shocked at the moment until she embraced it and hugged me back. We both let go so she can wipe her tears away. She looks at me and asked, "Why? Why are you helping a stranger you don't know?"

"When there's someone out there in need. I'll do what it takes to reach out to them." I said simply.

"Thank you. For helping me."

"It's no problem. That's what friends are for right?" I said to Weiss.

She looked shocked as she said stutters, "Right..friends." She smiles at the thought of finally being friends with someone for so long. Then the glass shattered as the crab imagin kicks through the window and into me. Mai pulled an arrow out of her quiver only for the imagin to slap her aside. He picked up the pendant and walked up to Weiss. Weiss tried to grab her weapon but the imagin uttered those words **, "Contract complete."**

He splits her open as he enters to the past through Weiss' memory. I recovered as I pulled the ticket out of my pocket and near her head. The ticket showed the picture of the crab imagin with the date that read 12/14/2008. I pulled out the pass and placed the ticket in the slot. I pulled out the belt as I told Mai, "Mai, call Professor Ozpin to come to our location. Watch Weiss for me okay?" Mai nodded as I ran out the room. I ran through the long hallway as I pressed the red button. The electronic music plays once again as I shouted, "HENSHIN!" I swiped the pass over the Den-O symbol as the belt calls out.

 **SWORD FORM**

The armor and face plate was attached to my armor as Momotaros entered my body. Momotaros jumps out the window dramatically as he landed on another building. He stood up and posed as he said his catchphrase **, "Ore Sanjou!"**

The Den-Liner opens through a portal as Momotaros jumped off the building and landed inside the engine room with the Den-Bird waiting for us. Momotaros places the pass in the slot as the Den-Liner sets our destination to 12/14/2008.

* * *

 _December 14, 2008_

 _Outside the Schnee Manor, riots and mayhem was upon the Schnee family as there was a stage outside. On that stage was a White Fang lieutenant with a King Taijitu mask. He had a pistol against a woman who looks like an older version of Weiss. She shook in fear as the lieutenant pulled the trigger, splattering blood and brain matter on the stage. The White Fang supporters cheered with triumph as a young Weiss watched the entire event play out as she hid in the alley way. She cried at sight of her dead mother as sand comes off of her. The sand formed into the crab imagin. Weiss screams in fear as the crab imagin started to attack the riot. All of the faunus tried to run away but some were killed before the could run. The White Fang grunts and lieutenants fired at the imagin, only for their weapons to be ineffective to him. He ran at the slashing them all in the neck in cold blood. As the bloodbath ensues, a man in a brown cloak appears as he looks at his stop watch again. He looks up to see the portal opening as the Den-Liner popped out. He again stays hidden as he finds a place to hide so the singularity point don't find him._

* * *

Momotaros uses the Den-Bird and drives towards the imagin to slash him in the chest. The crab imagin flinches as Momotaros said **, "Alright you little shit! You aren't gonna get away from me this time!"** The crab imagin flies off as Momotaros revved his bike to catch up with it. They finally stop at the Atlas shores as the crab imagin stops where he is. Momotaros hopped off his bike as he said while assembling his weapon **, "You gonna stop running now? Good, IKUZE IKUZE IKUZE!"** He dashed at the crab imagin only for him to jump in the water. Momotaros was puzzled at why he did that, but quickly shrugged it off as he said **, "This freaking crab, I swear."**

Momotaros walks away but the crab imagin used his ropes to pull him deep into the water. Momotaros struggles to swim upward and he was making progress until the crab imagin attacked him over and over again. The crab imagin left Momotaros to slowly drown as he said. " **Crap can't...Swim...Upwards...In time... Just hang on Kuro…"**

'Momotaros? Momotaros! Wake up man!' I shouted to Momotaros but he was out cold.

I noticed how screwed the situation was until I heard Urataros said **, 'Kurokuu, switch me in.**

'Urataros?'

' **Hey I may be a liar but I don't lie about me knowing how to swim. Just press the blue button.'**

I listen to what he said since he was my last hope. I used my arms and pressed the blue button. The Den-O symbol flashes blue as aquatic type music as I swiped the pass across the Den-O symbol as the belt called out.

 **ROD FORM**

I felt Momotaros leave my body only for Urataros to enter me. The face plate disappears and the red armor rearranged itself as the outer color was now blue. The armor combines together as the blue faceplate, which is shaped like a turtle, attaches itself on my face as the piece movie around to form. Urataros jumped out of the water and punches the crab imagin in the face. The crab imagin looks surprised at the new appearance of the rod form armor. Urataros said to the crab imagin **, "Mind if I reel you in?"**

" **You...bastard."** The imagin said as he tried going to the ocean again only for Urataros to grab him in time.

Urataros pulls him back and roundhouse kick him in the face as he said **, "Not this time!"** He assembles his weapon as he actively kicks the crab imagin over and over to buy him sometime. He finished assembling his rod as the rod extends to a greater length. He uses the rod and knocks the imagin to the right, steering him away from the ocean. He swings his rod around as sparks came off of the crab imagin, causing him immense pain. Urataros stabs the imagins like a pitchfork and throws him aside. The crab imagin stumbles back up as Urataro pulls out the pass and said **, "Now it's time for me to fillet this fish."** He places the pass in front of the Den-O symbol and it called out.

 **FULL CHARGE**

Urataros throws the pass away as blue lasers came out of the belt and into the rod. He pulls the rod back and throws it straight into the imagin. He reeled in pain as a hexagon shape appeared in front of him. Urataros runs up, jumps in the air, and divekick him in the chest causing him to explode. Urataros stood back up as he said **, "Kurokuu, I guess you owe me now for saving you and stupid peach boy's life."**

'Yeah I guess. Thank you.' I said gratefully.

' **Oi I heard that you perverted turtle!'** Momotaros shouted. Urataros laughs as he makes his way back to the Den-Liner.

I was out of the armor as I entered back into the Den-Liner. But as I approached the door I was met with The Owner's face in front of me. I picked myself back up as I said, "Oh Owner, I'm surprised to see you here. Where have you been lately?"

"I have been busy with Mr. Ozpin about a few things." The Owner said. He walks to his seat and orders his fried rice. When his food arrived, he slowly ate the rice while not toppling the flag down. As he was eating he asked, "I noticed that you have a new imagin over there."

"Yes his name is Urataros. He possessed me just for him to be safe." I said. As he was eating the car shook slightly and made the flag fall over. He placed his hands near his face as he gasped.

His face turned back to normal as he said, "I see. Mai told me that Momotaros and Urataros caused a ruckus on the Den-Liner. Personally I let them off with a warning but this is your situation."

"What do you mean by 'my situation?'"

"If you think Urataros is gonna become a bothersome, I'll give you two choices. You can either let him stay with you by granting him permission of the pass. Or you can not accept him and leave him behind in the Sands of Time."

Momotaros stood up in excitement as he said **, "Yes! Less crowded people! Come on Kurokuu, kick him out!"**

I ignored Momotaros and looked at Urataros. He was fiddling his fingers, as he looks at me as I thought about the question. Although I might lose my sleep schedule, possibly get hickies because of him, and deal with his lying. But under all of that, he did saved Mine and Momotaros' life. I guess I owe him. I looked to The Owner and said, "I give Urataros the permission to stay on the Den-Liner." Momotaros and Urataros looked shocked at what I said.

The Owner said, "I see that this is your choice. Well the next stop is here, you should go find Mai and the crab imagin's contract holder." I nodded as I grabbed the pass and left.

* * *

 _As Kurokuu left, Momotaros growled in anger at the choice Kurokuu made. Urataros on the other hand felt glad as he said to himself_ _ **, "Guess now we're even."**_

* * *

I exited the Sand of Time and it was near nightfall. I walked out the door to see the VPD outside the hotel. I ran through the security and entered the room. Mai was consulting with Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch while Weiss was talking to another man I didn't recognize. He has a pale complexion with blue eyes, slicked-back white hair, and white mustache. He was wearing a white double breasted jacket and tie with a blue colored shirt and small red handkerchief in the breast pocket, white dress pants, and white dress shoes. I look at Weiss as she looked back only for the man to say, "Don't you dare look away from me! I told you to stay out of trouble and not associate yourself with these people and look what they did!"

Weiss said, "But father...They didn't hurt me. They-"

"Enough! You are coming back with me! I'm not gonna let you go to some useless Huntress and Hunter school and turn yourself into these ruffian! You will work as the Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company." Weiss' father shouted angrily.

Then I felt Momotaros enter my body without permission. My appearance changed as Momotaros took over. He walked up to Weiss' father, filled with anger. Weiss' father looks at Momotaros and said, "What do you want you ruffian?!" Momotaros didn't anything as he simply just punched him in the face. He was about to punch him again until Professor Goodwitch and Mai stopped him in time.

Momotaros struggled to escape as he shouted **, "Let go of me woman! I'm gonna show this rich asshole what I can do!"**

"Momotaros stop! This isn't gonna changing anything!" Mai said trying to convince Momotaros.

Momotaros simply replied **, "I know but it's gonna make me feel really good!"** I struggled trying to get Momotaros out. Then with all my might I pushed Momotaros out. My body returned back to normal as Mai and Professor Goodwitch let me go. I saw Weiss' father stand up and wiping the blood from his nose using his handkerchief.

He walked up to me in anger, ready to unleash hell on me until Professor Ozpin stepped in and said, "Jacques, that's quite enough. I'm sorry if my associate couldn't control himself. Why don't we talk about this in my office?" Weiss' father, now named Jacques, looked at me in anger before he calmed down, straightens his suit, and walks out the room with Professor Ozpin. I look at Mai and Professor Goodwitch, still talking, before looking at Weiss who is still shocked at what her Jacque did.

I walked up to her and said, "Are you okay? I saw what happened I didn't mean to attack your father."

"No it's okay. Thank you for helping me." I nodded yes with a smile as Weiss asked, "Was that your semblance? You're aura seems to change color and your personality changes." Weiss asked questioningly.

"Uh...Yeah sure that's my semblance." I lied.

She laughs as she said, "Then you should meet my butler, Klein. He kinda has what you have as well." She acts quiet until she then said, "I want to thank you for saving me from the monster and standing up for me. I really appreciate it."

I blushed at what she said as I replied, "Uhhhh yeah no problem. Anything for a friend."

"Well I can't stay at the hotel anymore because of what happened tonight. And there's no one here that can take me home." Weiss said with frustration about the situation she is stuck in.

"Um maybe you can come to the Milk Dipper. My sister won't mind having a guest over." I suggested to Weiss.

Weiss then said, "Yeah but Beacon Academy starts tomorrow and I don't have a ride to drop me off."

"Wait Beacon? I'm going there too! Professor Goodwitch will be picking us personally in the morning. You could come hitch a ride as well." I said to Weiss.

She sighs in relief as she said, "Perfect. I guess I could stay with you for the night."

"Actually give me a few minutes." I said to Weiss. I walked towards Mai and Professor Goodwitch. Mai walks up to me and ask, "Is the imagin dealt with?"

"Yeah Urataros handled it. He'll be staying at the Den-Liner for now on." I said to Mai.

She looked shocked as she said, "Wait why? He's just a lying coward who…"

"Saved mine and Momotaros' lives. And letting him stay is my token of gratitude." I interrupted Mai.

She looks conflicted until she said, "Fine but don't blame me if you start feeling tired."

"Alright alright, got it. By the way, Weiss is gonna go with me to Beacon so she gonna stay with me for the night. She kinda doesn't have anywhere else to go to." I said to Mai.

Mai nods as she said, "Sounds good. I'll see at Beacon. Don't think about getting any funny business with her."

I blushed at what she said and shouted, "What are you talking about!?"

"You know what I mean. See ya Kurokuu!" Mai said before Professor Goodwitch and Mai left, leaving me and Weiss alone.

I look at Weiss and said, "Well you need anything before we leave?"

"Yeah just a few things." She ran to her closet and pulled out about five suitcases. She threw me three and said, "Could you carry those while I carry these two?" I sighed and nodded yes as we walked back to the Milk Dipper in the night, under the shattered moon.

* * *

 _A few hours later, Roman Torchwick leads his henchmen to a show called "From Dust Till Dawn." As they entered the shop, sand came out of his clothes and formed the bat imagin. The shopkeeper gasped as Roman tapped his cigar and said, "Do you know how hard it is to find a dust shop open this late?"_


	4. Chapter 4: The Initiation

(A/N:) Hey everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter. And now we're finally getting into the RWBY continuity. So as always, leave any reviews about what you think about this chapter. And I hope you all enjoy.

I do not I own the rights to the series RWBY or Kamen Rider. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth Productions and The Kamen Rider Series is owned by Toei Company

"Normal Speech"

'Thoughts/Inner communication between OC and imagin'

 _"Third Person"_

 **"Imagin speech"**

* * *

I slowly wake up from my slumber as I see the morning light shining in my room. I sat up from the floor as I looked at my surroundings. I was sleeping on the floor since I let Weiss sleep on my bed. I reached for my scroll as I thought, 'Another day. Time for me to-' My thoughts were interrupted as I checked the time. 'Crap! It's 8:45! I gotta get ready by 9:00!' I went over to Weiss sleeping soundly as I shook her awake.

"Weiss! Wake up! We're about to be late for Beacon!" I shouted to her loudly.

She woke up in fury as she checked the time for herself. She looks at me and grabs my shoulder as she shouted, "YOU DOLT! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO SET THE ALARM AT 8:00!"

"I'M SORRY!" I shouted back.

We both took a deep breath and stared in silence. She broke the silence and said, "Well what are we waiting for? Let's hurry!" I nodded yes as we both did our morning routine as quickly as possible.

* * *

 **Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time**

 **Chapter 4: The Initiation**

* * *

I waited outside the bathroom as I knocked on the door and asked, "Weiss are you done?! Professor Goodwitch is waiting for us outside!"

"Give me a sec. I'm doing my makeup!" Weiss shouted back. I groaned as I walked back downstairs. I see Kasumi making a cup of tea for Professor Goodwitch as she waited for Weiss.

She looks at me as she set her tea down. She walked up to me and asked, "Is Ms. Schnee done yet. I don't have all day and I need to start the orientation for the students."

"She said she'll be down in a second." I replied back.

Professor Goodwitch looks at me attire, raising an eyebrow. I was wearing a gray jacket with a red lines going down from my shoulders to my sleeves, black shirt, red muffler, blue jeans, black combat boots, and a silver shoulder armor on my right arm. She then asks, "Do you think this is proper battle attire?"

"Well the only thing I could really afford was the shoulder armor and combat boots. And for the weapon, I found out that Momotaros and Urataros has weapons so I guess I could use theirs. And everything is because I just want to wear something comfortable." I replied. She facepalms at what I said as she just sat back down to her chair.

I turn around as I heard Kasumi approaching behind me. She hands me my luggage as she said, "I can't believe my little bro is going to Beacon Academy." She tears up a little as she continues, "Mom and dad would be so proud of you."

I hugged Kasumi and said, "I hope they are too."

She smiles as she said, "Now remember, keep your clothes and weapon clean. Here's the key to the cafe if you want to come and-"

"Sis, don't worry. I'll be fine."

Kasumi sighs as I heard Weiss tumbles down the stairs with her luggages. I started to laugh as Weiss shouts, "Stop laughing you dolt and help me!"

"Alright, alright I'll help." I said as I picked up Weiss off the floor.

* * *

Professor Goodwitch cleared her throat as she said, "Well, are we done dilly-dallying. We are on a tight schedule, right now." I nodded in understandment as Weiss and I grabbed our luggage and brought it to the car. As Professor Goodwitch closes the trunk, Kasumi gave her last goodbye as Weiss and I entered the car. Professor Goodwitch got in the driver seat, turns on the engine, and drives. I turn around to see Kasumi walking back into the Milk Dipper. I released a sigh as Weiss grabbed my shoulder reassuring me. 'A new chapter starts in my life.' I thought as Professor Goodwitch drives us to our destination.

 _In the Den-Liner, Momotaros and Urataros sat in their benches drinking coffee while staring at each other, Mai was doing maintenance on her bow and arrows, Naomi was making more coffee, and lastly The Owner was sitting in his usual spot eating his fried rice with a flag. Momotaros finished his coffee as he said_ _ **, "Beacon huh? I wonder if there is anyone worth fighting."**_

 _Urataros set his coffee down as he said_ _ **, "Of course you would think about fighting. I'm just wondering all the cute girls I can reel in. That Weiss girl seems cute."**_

 _Momotaros stood up from his seat as he shouts_ _ **, "Shut it, you perverted turtle!"**_

 _It looks like they're about to fight again until The Owner tapped his cane on the floor, getting their attention. Momotaros and Urataros looks at The Owner as he pulled out a red card and said, "Cease your fighting. Kurokuu may have let you guys on the Den-Liner. But I will not hesitate to use the denial of passage card to kick you out if you cause another fight to erupt again. Got it?"_

 _Momotaros and Urataros are holding each other's shoulder, pretended to be friends. Momotaros said_ _ **, "We're not gonna cause any trouble at all! Right Urataros?"**_

" _ **Yep! You're right about the senpai!"**_

 _The Owner was slowly eating the fried rice until the flag toppled over. He gasp as he raised his hands up. His face became neutral as he stood up and said to Mai, "Mai, I think it's time for you to go." Mai nods as she picked up her bow and arrows and exits the Den-Liner. The Owner looked back to see the imagins still pretending to be friendly with each other._

* * *

After our drive with Professor Goodwitch, She dropped us off at the transport area where the bullheads picks up the students. Since we were slightly late, there wasn't many people on board. Weiss was holding her luggage cart with all her stuff while I held mine. The quiet atmosphere caused an awkward silence between us. I cleared my throat as I asked, "So...what do you think our initiation test is? Professor Goodwitch mentioned it a few times on the phone call with Professor Ozpin."

"Personally I don't know. Obviously, it's some sort of test to show off our abilities. They also mentioned something about teams. Maybe we're supposed to form a team during the test." Weiss replied unsurely.

I sighed nervously since I haven't had any friends because I always stayed with Kasumi. I looked to Weiss as I asked, "Maybe I could be on your team."

"Sure I guess."

"Great!"

The quiet atmosphere came back as she said, "So do you have any combat experience?"

I scratched my head nervously as I said, "Uhh...I...don't have any combat experience?"

Weiss stared at me with shock as she said, "Wait what! If you don't have any combat experience. Then why are you here?"

"Um...you can say Professor Ozpin took some interest in me after he saw what I did." She looks at me questioningly as I said, "Oh but don't worry! Mai helped me train for a while so I can hold my own for a while."

She sighed with relief as she said, "Well at least you're not so hopeless." I cringed at what she said to me, she's not wrong about me being hopeless. The bullhead started to rumble as we were landing. I look up as the door opened to reveal the Beacon Academy grounds. We boarded off the bullhead with all of our luggages as I took in the air of Beacon.

We followed the students as they flocked towards the main avenue. I looked around as I was trying to find the amphitheater. I look back at Weiss as I said, "Hey Weiss, I'll go find us a map just wait here for a bit." She nodded yes as I dashed off to find a map. I poked around for a bit until I found a map near the transport area. I ran back to Weiss only to see a small explosion. I think there was some ice and lightning too. I panicked as I ran to Weiss and picked her up. I looked at her as I said, "Weiss! Are you alright?!"

She stood back up as she said, "Yes I'm fine. But this dolt just set off an explosion with my dust and almost blew us off the mountain!" I looked at the person she mentioned. She was fairly skinned with black hair that fades to red near at the tips. She was wearing a long sleeved thick black blouse with a high collar and red trim on the sleeves, a black waist cincher with red lacing up the front, and a black skirt with red trim. She also wears a pair of thick black stockings and black combat boots with red laces, red trim around the top and red soles. Her outfit is topped by a red hooded cloak fastened to her shoulder by cross shaped pins. Her emblem appears as a large silver brooch and is pinned to a wide black belt slung around her hips on an angle, which also has bullets and a pouch attached. But what was noticeable about her was her silver eyes. It's almost like the fairy tale my grandma told me about. The silver eye warriors, able to kill a grimm with a blink of an eye. But it's all fake, it's just a fairy tale.

The girl in the red hood played with her fingers as she said, "I'm really, really sorry!"

Weiss was still furious as she said, "Ugh! You complete dolt! What are you even doing here?! Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon!?

"Well...I…"

"This isn't your ordinary combat school. It's not just sparring and practice you know. We're here to fight monsters. So watch where you're going!"

I grabbed Weiss' shoulder as I said, "Um Weiss. I think you need to cool off a bit."

The girl in red agreed on what I said as she said, "Yeah! I said I was sorry, princess!"

"It's heiress, actually." I turned to the voice as who I saw made my eyes widen. It was Blake, standing in front of me. She walks up to me, Weiss and the girl in the red hood as she said, "Weiss Schnee, Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. One of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world."

Weiss said with a hint of arrogance, "Finally, some recognition."

Blake shot back as she said, "The same company infamous for its controversial work labor forces and questionable business partners."

"What-How dare-! The nerve of-! Ugh!" Weiss grunted as she swiped the bottle from her hands. She walks away as she calls, "Come on Kurokuu! Let's go somewhere else!"

I followed her and pushed her luggage cart and carried mine. I look back at them as I said, "Sorry about her. She's a bit cranky at the moment." I walked away as I turned around to see Blake staring at me with those eyes. Since I knew who she was, she might be after me. Let's just hope that I don't end up being teams with her. I caught up to Weiss as she sat down on a bench. I walked up to her and asked, "Weiss are you alright?

She sighs as she said, "It's just that I hate how people look at me. Just because I'm the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, I get painted in a bad light."

I looked at Weiss as I said, "Well they just don't know the real you yet. You gotta give people a chance to know you. Like me for instance. If you didn't let Mai and I talk to you, we might have still thought that you're what everyone else think about you."

She thinks about my advice as she sighed and said, "I'll keep that in mind, thanks Kurokuu."

I smiled as I said, "Anything for a friend. Now come on! We got to get to orientation at the amphitheater!" She nods as she took off leaving me behind. I grabbed the luggage cart with our stuff on it. I ran and shouted, "Weiss! Stop leaving your bags behind!"

I caught up with Weiss as we noticed the hundreds of students waiting inside the amphitheater. We looked around as I noticed the girl in the red hood talking to a blond girl. She has fair skin like the girl in red. But she has purples eyes and blonde hair. She is wearing a tan jacket with golden brown piping and short, puffy sleeves with black cuffs that feature two gold buttons. Underneath this she wears a low cut yellow crop top with her emblem on the left breast in black, and a pair of black also wears a brown belt with a pleated brown piece of material covering her from hip to hip attached to the rear of the belt, with her emblem emblazoned on the right-most pleat in gold. Underneath this is a longer, white, asymmetrical piece of material reaching to her knee on the right side. She wears brown, knee high boots and orange over the knee socks, with the right sock pushed down to below the knee. A gray bandana is tied around her left knee. An orange infinity scarf and black fingerless gloves complete her outfit. For some reason, I feel like I remember her from somewhere. Weiss notices them as well as she walked up to them angrily. I followed her so I could stop the situation from getting worse.

As we got closer, the words from the girl in the red hood got closer. "And I felt really, really bad! And I just want her to stop yelling at me!"

Weiss sneaked up behind her and shouted, "You!"

The girl in the red hood jumped into the blonde girl's arms as she said, "Oh Oum, it's happening again!"

Weiss stares at her as she said, "You're lucky that we weren't blown off the side of the cliff!"

The blonde girl said, "Oh my Oum, you really exploded."

The girl in the red hood got off of the blonde girl as she pleads, "It was an accident! It was an accident!" Weiss shoves a pamphlet in front of her face as she asked, "What's this?"

Weiss said, "The Schnee Dust Company is not responsible for any injures or damages sustained while operating a Schnee Dust Company product. Although not mandatory, the Schnee Family highly encourages their customers to read and familiarize themselves with this easy to follow guide to Dust application and practice in the field."

"Uhh.."

"You really want to start making things up to me?"

"Absolutely."

"Read this and don't ever speak to me again." Weiss finished as she hands her the pamphlet.

I stepped in and said, "Weiss, remember what I said about letting people getting to know you. Why don't we start over and try to be friends"

The girl in the red hood said, "Yeah! Great idea! Hello Weiss! I'm Ruby! Want to hang out? We can go shopping for school supplies."

"Yeah, and we can-" I covered Weiss' mouth so she doesn't say anything more stupid to make herself look bad.

I took over the conversation as I said while trying to cover Weiss' mouth, "So sorry about Weiss here. She isn't the most sociable person to be around. By the way, the name's Kurokuu Akarui!"

"Hello Kurokuu! I'm Ruby! Please to meet you!" The girl in the red hood, now named Ruby, said.

"Please to meet you too, Ruby." I replied.

The blonde girl looks at me and said, "Wait Kurokuu! Oh I remember you~"

I looked at her, wondering what she meant by that. I then asked, "Um excuse me. But have we met before?"

The blonde girl looked shocked as she said, "What! You don't remember the beautiful sun dragon? Yang? Ringing any bells? We had a date two days ago?"

I tried to remember the blonde girl, now dubbed Yang. Then I remember where she came from. She was one of the girls Urataros went out with. I started to blush at the photo I saw of her kissing Urataros as me. Then I heard Urataros say **, 'Yang? Here? Oh I gotta see her!'**

Then Urataros jumped into my body as my appearance changed. Urataros grabbed her hands as he said **, "Oh my beautiful sun dragon, how could I forget such beauty like you. I think I can remember better if we had that kiss again."** I started to freak out as at said to Urataros, 'Urataros stop! Weiss is next to me.' He ignored me as he was leaning in to Yang's lips. Ruby covered her eyes while Weiss was clenching her hand into a fist. Weiss snapped as she smacked Urataros so hard, that he flew out of my body.

Now I rubbed my face from the pain as I said, "OW! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT!"

"YOU WERE GONNA DO SOMETHING INDECENT TO HER!"

"I CAN'T CONTROL MY SEMBLANCE! IT JUST HAPPENS" I lied to her.

As we were arguing, they both looked at each other with confusion at what just happened. I cleared my throat as I said, "I'm sorry for my actions. I didn't mean to do that."

Yang smirks as she said, "Oh, I don't mind. Maybe we could have some fun. Just you and me?"

I blushed as I said, "Uh...I...What?" Yang only sighed as we heard the feedback of the microphone shrieking loudly.

We all looked at the stage as three people walked out. The first two in front of the audience was Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch. But the last person was someone I didn't expect to be here, it was Mai. 'Why is she here?' I thought to myself as I look at Professor Ozpin. He takes a sip of coffee as he said, "Ahem...I'll keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search for knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you and all I see is wasted energy in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

And that said, he walks off leaving Professor Goodwitch to talk, "Before you all head to the ballroom tonight. We have a new addition to the staff numbers. Please welcome Mai."

Murmurs were heard as they were all surprised by her age. Mai walks up to the mic as she said, "Hello my name is Mai. I'll be assisting all of the first years teachers. I hope we can all get along."

Mai exited the stage as Professor Goodwitch came back on the mic and said, "Now you will all gather at the ballroom for tonight. Tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."

"I gotta say that Mai girl looks young to be a teacher's pet instead of a student. She might be a challenge." Yang said as she cracked her knuckles. "But I'm gonna show her who's boss." She said with a wide grin.

I gulped a little at what she said. I just hope Mai can handle herself. All the students walked towards the ballroom including Ruby, Weiss, and Yang. Weiss noticed I was walking in a different direction. She shouts, "Kurokuu! Where are you going?!"

"I gotta meet up with Mai! Can you grab my stuff?!"

"But I can't carry all of this!"

"Use the luggage cart!" I shouted back before running off to find Mai. In the hallways I saw Mai loitering against the wall. I walked up to her and said, "Hey Mai."

"Hey Kurokuu. How's the first day?"

"It's good so far. But why are you here for?" I asked Mai.

She sighs as she said, "Well, The Owner and Mr. Ozpin planned for me to watch over you during your stay in Beacon. I'll be the assistant teacher for all of your classes. And if there's an imagin attack, I can excuse you without needing you to run out like a lunatic."

"Oh , thanks for helping me I guess. I thought that I was alone on this."

' **Oi, aren't you forgetting someone here?!'** Momotaros said.

"Sorry Momotaros I almost forgot about you."

' **Oh so that's it's gonna go now huh? Just because a new imagin joined us, you just completely forgot about me!'**

"I'm really sorry Momotaros. How about this, tomorrow's the initiation. You can possess me during the test and you can do whatever you want."

Momotaros thinks about the offer as he said **, 'Sounds tempting... Alright fine, sounds good. I'm gonna go back to fi..I mean drink coffee. Bye.'**

And with that Momotaros is gone. I look back to Mai as she waited for our conversation. I straighten my shoulder armor as I said, "Sorry about that, thanks for helping me."

"It's no problem. Now go to the ballroom, I'll see you tomorrow."

I ran to the direction of the ballroom as I shouted to Mai, "SEEYA!"

* * *

After setting up my spot to sleep for the night, I went to the rooftops to see the sunset. I could feel the breeze past through me. As I was looking at the sun, Momotaros and Urataros appeared in front of me in their sand forms. I look at them and asked, "Guys, what are you doing? People will see you!"

" **Relax, there's no one here. Anyway I think it's about time that I should train you with my sword."** Momotaros said.

Urataros pushes him aside as he said **, "Senpai, I think he should train using the rod. He's been training with you longer than I have. So just be a smart peach and let me do it."**

" **Alright you perverted turtle! You wanna go right now!"** Momotaros threatened.

Urataros laughed as he said **, "Oh please. Like you can handle me in a fight like that fight in the Den-Liner?"**

" **You little son of a-!"**

"Guys!" I shouted to both of them. "How about this, you both can help train me. You know like one day Momotaros trains me, while Urataros trains me another day."

The two imagins looked at each other as they silently consulted about the offer I made. They finished talking as Urataros said **, "Alright we have a deal. Maybe I can teach you a thing or two about reeling in the ladies."**

I groaned at what he said until I heard footsteps coming up. I turned to Momotaros and Urataros and said, "Guys someone's coming, get out of here!" They both listened as they disappeared in front of me. I sat back down pretending that I wasn't doing anything. The footsteps got closer as the person open the door to reveal to be Blake. 'Blake? Why is she here for. Unless..Oh no.' I thought to myself. I stood up to look at her face to face and asked, "Oh Blake right? What are you doing up here for?"

"Oh I was actually looking for you."

"Why?"

"I must ask you a question."

"And that is?

"Are you the man in the black and white armor from a month ago?"

I started to hesitate as she was starting to connect the pieces. I trembled as I said, "I...Don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't lie to me. I recognize that scent from before and you smell exactly like the man in the black and white armor." My heart started to beat fast as she asked again, "So I'll ask again, are you the man in the black and white armor?"

I tried to make an excuse but in the end, I had nothing to say. I sighed as I said, "Yes, I was the black and white armor guy when you and Adam were on a SDC train, fighting the Atlesian Paladins."

She started to become nervous at what I said. She took off her bow to reveal her cat ears. She looks at me and said, "So you know about my past."

"Yes, the monster you saw that day was an imagin. A creature who uses people's memory to destroy the past and change the future. And I'm supposed to stop that from happening."

She ponders for a moment as she asked, "These imagins. How many people know of their existence?"

"A few. Professor Ozpin, Professor Goodwitch, the girl on stage during orientation, you, and Weiss Schnee." Blake nods in understanding as I said, "I also have imagins that help me in battles. Come on out guys." Sand came off of me as Momotaros and Urataros came back in their sand forms.

She looked as Momotaros said **, "Heh, I remember you. You were the ex- White Fang member."**

" **Senpai, we don't want her to feel uncomfortable now do we?"** Urataros said. Momotaros growls as Urataros said **, "I'm sorry about senpai's behavior. He can be very inconsiderate at times."** Momotaros growled more as he hit Urataros in the back of the head.

Urataros stared at Momotaros before punching him in the face. Momotaros was ready to retaliate as I said, "Guys, not now." They both calmed down as they stopped fighting. They both continued to secretly slapping each other.

Blake cleared her throat as she said, "Now I'm gonna ask you one more question."

"And what would that be?"

"Are you going to tell anyone about my secret?"

I took a deep breath as I thought about what she said. I look back up at her and said, "No. I won't tell anyone about secret as long as you don't tell mine." She looked relieved as I continued, "But in the end, someone will find out. Whether it's my secret or yours. So I prefer if you are on a team, tell your teammates so it wouldn't hurt them in the future." And with that said, I walked towards the door and left Blake on the rooftops think about my question.

It is currently night time after the talk I had with Blake. I went into the bathroom to take a shower and brush my teeth. As I was brushing my teeth, a girl with orange hair was jumping around a man with long black hair tied in a pony tail. He was brushing his teeth as the girl started to ramble about tomorrow and teams. I just ignored them as I finished up brushing my teeth and changed into my sleeping attire. I was wearing a white tank top with black shorts. After I changed into my clothes, I walked to my spot where I would be sleeping for the night. As I walked to the ballroom, I see Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang, already in their sleeping attire, arguing with each other. I simply ignored them and laid my head on my pillow. After they finally stopped arguing, Weiss came to my spot and slept near me. I sighed as I said, "So, how did making friends go?"

"I hardly call that making friends if they can't let me have my beauty sleep."

I sighed as I said, "Remember, you gotta give people a chance. Hey, for all we know Ruby, Yang, and Blake could be your friends."

Weiss scoffed as she said, "Me? Friends with that dolt? Please like that would happen."

"Hey you'll never know what life gives you. Strangers can become your best friends in the future."

Weiss sighed as she said. "I guess. Good night, Kurokuu."

"Night." And with that, I slowly close my eyes so I can get my rest for tomorrow.

* * *

 _There was a boat floating across the peaceful water of the lake. Blossom petals flutter down gently to the water. The boat was empty as the only thing left on the boat was a stopwatch that read on the back, "The past should give us hope." I ran towards the lake and I saw someone standing in the water. The figure turns around to reveal Kasumi smiling through her tear stained face. I fell on my knees as I shouted as loud as I could, "KASUMI!"_

* * *

I woke myself up in cold sweat. I look around to see that the sun isn't up yet. I look to where Weiss was sleeping as she was sleeping soundly. I checked the time on my scroll. It was currently 8:00 in the morning. I rubbed my face as I tried to forget that dream. I don't want to remember that again. Knowing that I couldn't sleep anymore, I stood up and packed up my stuff and did my morning business. I took a shower, brushed my teeth, and changed into my battle attire. I walked back into the ballroom to see Weiss still sleeping while tossing and turning. I smiled a bit as I walked towards her and pinched her nose together. I see her moving around as she woke up gasping for air.

I laughed hard as she looked at me with anger. She then shouted, "You dolt! Why would you wake me up like that!?"

"Well we have the test in one hour and you gotta change and get breakfast." I said to Weiss. She groans as she knew I was right. As she slowly got up, I said to Weiss, "And I also thought that would be pretty funny."

"Well your sense of humor is hardly comedic. Now I'll go do my morning business. I'll see you in the cafeteria." Weiss said as she grabbed her towel and walked towards the girls locker rooms.

I waved as I said, "Alright, see you at breakfast!" And with that, I grabbed my stuff and walked to the cafeteria. In the cafeteria, the room was packed with students trying to get food. I grabbed my tray and waited in the long line. I was able to get three stacks of pancakes with scrambled eggs and sausages and a glass of orange juice. As I was enjoying my sausage, Weiss sat down next to me with her tray of two bagels, cream cheese, and coffee with two sugar.

She took poured her sugar in and took a sip. She took a deep breath as she said, "So how did you sleep Kurokuu?"

"I slept okay."

She analyzed me as she said, "Are you sure you slept?"

"Yeah I did. Don't worry about me. So about teams, who were you planning on being teammates with?"

She set her coffee down as she said, "Well if you didn't know. The Mistral champion, Pyrrha Nikos, is attending here."

I choked on my orange juice, "Wait, THE Pyrrha Nikos?"

"Yeah, she's here. I plan on being teammates with her."

"Oh I see." I said to Weiss, with a diabolical look on her face.

I cleared my throat to snap her out of her state. She snaps out of it as she asked, "So what about you?"

"Well, I'll just kinda wing it I guess. I'm kinda okay with anyone here. Even Ruby."

"Her? Why her?"

"Well think about it. Beacon Academy's qualified age range is 17-21. Ruby looks likes she's fifteen. That means that she must've got in Beacon early, for all we know she could be really talented."

Weiss sighed as she said, "I guess. But she seems too childish to be here."

"Hey, that's why we're here. To get stronger, right?"

"Well you're not wrong about that." Weiss acknowledges. She wipes her mouth clean as she said, "Well, I'm going to the locker rooms to get ready. I'll see you later."

I stood up and shouted, "Seeya!" As I was about to finish my pancakes, I noticed they disappeared from my plate. I looked around as behind me was the ginger girl from before with my pancakes in her mouth. She is wearing a collared black vest that ends at her waist. Her signature emblem, a hammer with a lightning bolt, can be found on the back. Under the vest are two layers of clothing, colored red and light-blue. She also wears a white sleeveless top that forms a tiny heart shape between her cleavage and collarbone, with a white detached sleeve on each arm. She wears matching fingerless gloves on each hand. She sports a pink skirt that starts at the waist and ends mid-thigh. Her shoes are a mix of pink and white with pink laces, displaying her emblem on their soles. She also wears armor that begins in the middle of the shoulder and neck and ends by the waist.

I was slightly furious as I shouted to the ginger girl, "Hey! Those are my pancakes!"

The ginger girl slurped up the pancakes as she moved closer to my face. She had a grin on her face as she said, "YOU'RE TOO SLOW!" And then she dashed off at astonishing speed. I looked back to see the man with the ponytail running trying to catch up to the ginger girl. He is wearing a dark green, diagonally-buttoned, long-sleeved tailcoat that is red on the inside, with black and gold trimming and pink cuffs. The trimming goes down the right side of his torso and forms a black collar. He wears a black, long-sleeved shirt beneath the suit, and light-tan pants with black shoes.

He slowed a bit as he looked at me and said, "I'm very sorry about Nora's behavior. She can be very energetic. I'm Lie Ren, but please call me Ren."

"I'm Kurokuu Akarui. Are you Vacuan?"

"My roots are Vacuan, but I hail from the countryside of Mistral."

"Oh okay, well you should catch up to Nora."

The ponytail man, now named Ren, took a deep breath and said, "You got that right. I'll see you at initiation. See you later!" Then he dashed off trying to find the ginger girl, now named Nora. I looked at the time on my scroll as it was almost time for testing. Making sure I wasn't late, I ran through the halls as fast as I could. I eventually stopped as I arrived at the locker rooms. I walked down the locker room hallways as I found Weiss talking to two people. The guy has messy blonde hair and blue eyes. He is wearing a white diamond-shaped chestplate and white spaulders with rerebrace. Under the armor, he wears a black hoodie with detached reddish-orange sleeves. He also wears blue pants with a white patch on the left knee, as well as black sneakers. He has two belts crisscrossing his waist, both different shades of brown, with a pair of small pouches on them. Jaune wears brown wrist-length gloves with exposed fingertips and a small metal plate on the back. His sword is strapped to his left hip in a sheath. Wait is he that guy that was wearing the onesies?

The other person was a girl. She has red ponytailed hair and emerald green eyes with green eyeshadow as well. She is wearing a bronze armor that cover her chest down to her waist. She also wore an elastic, black, A-line miniskirt and brown opera-length gloves on both arms. She dons a bronzer bracers and a bronze gauntlet on her left arm. She wore a red ankle-length drapery that wrapped around her skirt. There is a bronze plate with her emblem connect the red drapes around her together. She wears her high-heeled boots are brown with bronze trim, matching her skirt and sleeves, and reach up to mid-calf. On her head, she wears a bronze headpiece with a pair of small, green, teardrop-shaped emeralds hang from her circlet on thin chains. She also sported a large bronze gorget around her neck. This is her, the Pyrrha Nikos. I gotta act normal.

I straighten myself up as I walked towards Weiss' group. I said, "Hey Weiss what's up?"

"Oh nothing, I'm trying to convince Pyrrha Nikos to join my team until tall, blonde and scraggly interrupted me."

Okay, don't think I'm weird, Don't think I'm weird. I look at Pyrrha as I said, "Hello Mrs. Nikos. I'm Kurokuu Akarui. It's very nice to meet you." I stuck my hand out, waiting for her to shake it.

Pyrrha gladly accepts it as she said, "Hello! It's nice to meet you too."

I turned to the blonde guy as I said, "I don't think we've met yet."

The blonde guy cleared his throat as he said, "Oh well the name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls of the tongue, ladies love it."

I looked at him skeptically as I said, "Do they?"

"They will. Anyways so I've been hearing rumors about teams. I think you and me would make a good one. What do you say?"

Pyrrha spoke up as she said, "Actually, I think the teams are comprised of four students each, so-"

"You don't say. Well, hotstuff, play your cards right and maybe you could join up with the winning team." I cringed at what he said as I felt Urataros saying **, 'My, my. He doesn't know how to reel in a fish. I gotta show him how to do it.'**

"What no, no, no wait!" I couldn't stop Urataros in time as he jumped into my body. Pyrrha and Jaune looked at me wondering why I said what I said. Then they notice my appearance and eye color changing since Urataros is taking over.

He grabbed Jaune's shoulder and whispers in his ears **, "My, my boy. You have a long way if you want to get girls like I do. Observe."** He walks up to Pyrrha Nikos as he said **, "Oh you're name is Pyrrha Nikos was it. What a beautiful name you have, almost as beautiful as you~."** He pulled out a small flower out of nowhere. Seriously, I don't know where he got the flower from. He gives it to Pyrrha Nikos, who gladly accepts it.

She blushed at what Urataros said as she said, "Why thank you."

Urataros wraps his arm around Pyrrha as he said **, "Being with you reminds of the peaceful time in the county side of Mistral. The crops were flourishing and the grasslands was calm and serene. But until a horde of grimm destroyed our home and we had to flee to Vale. It was a hard time but being with you makes me feel warm inside."** Pyrrha seems to buy Urataros' story as tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. He got closer to her face as he said **, "Is it okay if I reel you in?"** Then his face got closer to Pyrrha, ready to lock lips. But it was stopped in time as Weiss slapped Urataros again so hard, knocking him out of my body. Seriously where does she get this strength from?

I fell to the floor as I said to Weiss, "OW! WHY?!"

"YOU WERE ABOUT TO LOCK LIPS WITH THE PYRRHA NIKOS!"

"LIKE I SAID BEFORE, I CAN'T CONTROL MY SEMBLANCE! IT JUST HAPPENS!"

As Weiss and I were arguing, Pyrrha was playing with her hair nervously as she tried to calm down from Urataros' advancements on her. While Jaune only stared in disappointment as he saw how Urataros was able to flirt with Pyrrha. After we stopped arguing, I said to Pyrrha, "I'm so very, very, very sorry for my actions."

Pyrrha crossed her arms together nervously as she said, "Oh no it's all okay."

Weiss clears her throat as she said, "Anyways, do you have any idea who you are talking to, Jaune?"

"Not in the slightest, Snow Angel. I'll assume she's famous somehow?"

"This is Pyrrha." Weiss said as she used her hand to point in Pyrrha's direction.

"Hello again!" Pyrrha said cheerfully.

"Pyrrha graduated top of her class in Sanctum."

"Never heard of it." Jaune replied simply.

"Ah, she's won the Mistral Regional Tournament four years in a row. A new record!"

"The what?"

Weiss started to get irritated at Jaune's lack of knowledge as she flails her arms around and said, "She's on the front of every Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes box!"

Jaune gasp as he said, "That's you? They only do that for star athletes and cartoon characters!"

Pyrrha said bashfully, "Yeah, it was pretty cool. Sadly, the cereal isn't very good for you."

Weiss joins back in the conversation as she said, "So, after hearing all of this, do you really think you're in a position to ask her to be on your team?"

Jaune slumped over as he said, "I guess not...Sorry."

I patted his back as I said, "Hey cheer up, don't let Weiss be a downer. She's kinda like that. I think you'd make a good leader."

Pyrrha joins in as she said, "Yeah Jaune, I think you'd also be a great leader."

"D'oh stop it!"

Weiss was about to say something until I grabbed her shoulder and said, "Come on Weiss, let it go. It's Pyrrha's choice to be friends with Jaune."

"But my chances of being teams with-"

"Well you have me as a partner!"

"That's hardly makes it better."

I clenched my chest as I feel on my knees and said, "Why? Are you so cold, Ice queen?"

Her only response was grabbing my hood and dragging me towards the Emerald Forest cliffs as she said, "Come on cry baby."

"I'M NOT A CRY BABY!"

* * *

As we waited on the cliff, Professor Goodwitch addressed the each of us to stand on a platform. I was between Weiss and Pyrrha as we waited for Professor Ozpin to come out and tell us what the test is. As we were waiting, I saw Ruby and Yang waving in my direction. I waved back until Professor Ozpin was in front of me. How the hell did he get here? The headmaster took a sip of coffee as he said, "For years, you have trained to become warriors. And today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

Glynda held her scroll pad as she said to everyone, "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard of rumors about the assignment of teams. Well allow us to end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates...Today."

I heard Ruby said, "What?"

Professor Ozpin then said, "These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well." I heard Ruby once again whimper at what Professor Ozpin said. He continued, "That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

Ruby gasp as if her world has been shattered. She looked upset as she said, "WHAT?!"

I turned to hear Nora saying to Ren, "See I told you!"

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path... or you will die." Jaune and I gulped at what he said. Wondering if Professor Ozpin would actually let us die. He continued not noticing me and Jaune, "You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"

I look at Jaune who was raising his hands uncomfortable as he said, "Yeah, um, sir?"

Professor Ozpin ignores Jaune as he said, "Good! Now take your position." Everyone was posing for their landing strategy. I quickly got nervous as I heard Momotaros said **, 'Oi! Don't forget about our deal.'**

'Yeah I know. Hop in.' I said. Momotaros chuckled as he jumped in my body. Everyone looked at me because of my change in aura and appearance. Momotaros cracked his knuckles as he summoned the Momotarosword. He laid his sword against his shoulder as he notices everyone's reactions. He growls as he said **, "What are you all lookin' at? Focus on yourselves."** Some of the students complied at what Momotaros said while others just kept looking. One by one students were being launched into the air.

As the students were being launched, Jaune asked, "Uh, sir? I've got, um... a question." Momotaros turned to Weiss as she was being launched off. He looked back at Jaune as he asked, "So, this landing... strategy thing... Uh, wha-what is it? You're, like, dropping us off or something?"

Momotaros got annoyed at Jaune as he said **, "No, you idiot! We're being launched!"** Momotaros noticed his platform moving around as he said **, "You're screeeeewwwwwweeeed!"** The platform launches Momotaros in a random direction. Momotaros spread his arms and legs out to increase the drag while gliding in the air. Momotaros took out his sword as he uses it to cut the trees in his way so he can land cleanly. He makes it to the ground and rolls to reduces the damage done to my body. Momotaros looks at his surroundings to see if he can find any grimm to kill. Momotaros growls as he said **, "AGHHH! Where's the grimm! I want to kill them all!"**

'Momotaros, it doesn't matter about the grimms. Let's just get to the temple and grab the relics.'

" **Che...Fine."** Momotaros left my body as he left his sword behind for me. In my head, he said **, 'You better take care of my sword.'**

'I will.' Momotaros exits my body as I looked at my surroundings. I took a deep breath as I walked north to the temple.

* * *

 _Meanwhile in the forest, Ruby was running at top speed to find her sister, Yang. 'Gotta find Yang! Gotta find Yang, gotta find Yang, gotta find…' she repeated in her head._

" _Yang! Yaaaang!" Ruby shouted. As she ran through the forest, she thought of her alternate choices of partners, 'Oh, this is bad, this is really bad... What if I can't find her? What if someone finds her first? Well, there's always Jaune. He's nice. He's funny! ...I don't think he's very good in a fight, though. Ooh! What about Blake?! So mysterious, so calm... Plus she likes books! Then again, I'm not sure I'd be able to hold a conversation with her. Well there's Kurokuu?! He looks like he can handle himself. But there's something odd about him. Ugh! Okay who else do I know in this school? There's Yang, Blake, Jaune, Kurokuu, aaaaand…'_

 _Her thoughts were interrupted as she slowed down to see her new partner for the next four years, Weiss Schnee. They both looked at each other in silence as Weiss begins to walk away from her. Ruby reaches her arm out as she said, "Wait! We're supposed to be teammates!"_

 _As Weiss walks away from Ruby, she sees Jaune hanging on a tree by Pyrrha's weapon. Upon seeing this she immediately walks away from him, grabs Ruby by the hoodie, and said, "By no means this makes us friends."_

" _You came back!"_

 _Jaune attempted to pull the spear out as he said, "Wait! Come back! Who's gonna get me down from here?"_

" _Jaune? Do you still have room for me on your team?" Pyrrha said as she retrieved her weapon._

 _Jaune crossed his arms and pouted as he said, "Very funny." He turned to her as he made a small smile on his face which Pyrrha gladly smiled in return._

 _Back to Ruby and Weiss, They were walking through the forest with Weiss leading them. Ruby caught up to her and asked, "What's the hurry?"_

" _I will not let my mission be delayed because you're too slow! I swear, if I get a bad grade because of your-" Weiss was interrupted as Ruby suddenly appeared in front of her. "What the...?"_

" _I'm not slow, see? You don't have to worry about me!"_

 _Weiss looked at her in utter confusion as she said, " When did...?"_

" _Weiss, just because I don't exactly know how to deal with people doesn't mean I don't know how to deal with monsters! You're about to see a whole different side of me today, Weiss, and after it's all over, you're going to be like, 'Wow! That Ruby girl is really, really cool and I wanna be her friend!'" Ruby said before she sped off ahead of Weiss, leaving her behind._

 _Weiss shouted to Ruby, "You may be fast, but you still excel at wasting time!" Then she heard leaves crackling. She looks around nervously as she called out, "Ruby?" She heard no response except the leaves crackling and the sounds of growling. She then sees a beowolf behind her as she shouted, "RUBY!"_

* * *

 _Yang walks through the forest, pushing the leaves and bushes out of the way. "Hello? Is anyone out there? Helloooooo? I'm getting bored here." Yang looked around as she heard movement coming for the bush. She walks up to the bush and pushes it slight as she said, "Ruby, is that you?" Her question were answered when she looks up to see a growling ursa and said, "Nope."_

 _She rolled to the side as the ursa charges out of the bush. She stands up and activitates her weapon staring at the ursa before another Ursa charges from behind. She leaps over it as the first ursa attempted to charge at her again, only for it to be punched by Yang. The other ursa and Yang charged at each other. Yang managed to outsmart it by going under it and doing a series of punches and a kick in the back. Yang looks at the ursas as she asked, "You guys wouldn't happen to have seen a girl in a red hood, would you?" The ursas stood on their hind legs as they growled at her. "You could just say no."_

 _Yang barely dodges the ursa's attack as she got back up and said, "Geeeez, you two couldn't hit the broad side of a ba…" She couldn't finish her insult as she saw a strand of her hair falling to the ground. "You…" She said as she closes her lilac eyes. Her eyelids open to reveal that her eyes changed into red. The ursas looked at each other confusingly as Yang said, "You MONSTERS!"_

 _She was surrounded by an inferno as she rockets towards the ursa that cut a piece of her hair, unleashing a series of punches and kicks until she sent it flying into the trees. She turned to the last ursa as she said, "WHAT YOU WANT SOME TOO?!"_

 _The ursa was ready to strike until it jolted in pain and face planted to the ground. On the back of the ursa shows a pistol sword with a ribbon attached to it. And behind the dead ursa was Blake holding her weapon. Yang looks at her as she said, "I could've taken it."_

* * *

 _On the Emerald Forest cliffs, Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch watches each student's performance. She looks at a camera that shows Ren finishing up dispatching a King Taijitu and Nora hanging from the tree, tapping his nose. Professor Goodwitch reports to Professor Ozpin, "The last pair has been formed, sir. Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren. Poor boy... I can't possibly imagine those two getting along. Still, he's probably better off than Miss Nikos." Professor Ozpin hums in understanding as Professor Goodwitch continues, "I don't care what his transcripts say. That Jaune fellow is not ready for this level of combat. I guess we'll find out soon enough. At their current pace, they should reach the temple within just a few minutes."_

 _Professor Ozpin sips his coffee as he asked, "How is Mr. Akarui's progress?"_

 _Professor Goodwitch switched the camera to show Kurokuu walking through the forest. Professor Goodwitch said, "Well, for Mr. Akarui. He was able to dispatch the grimms in his area."_

" _I see."_

" _Professor Ozpin, he may be a singular point but he seems far too inexperienced to be in a combat school. Let alone being the Den-O."_

" _Patience Glynda. Only time will tell for Mr. Akarui. At this pace, he might be the one to stop not only the imagins. But 'The Queen.' herself."_

 _Professor Goodwitch looks at him with shock as she said, "Are you insane!? He is only a novice in combat. And you want him to go against 'The Queen' himself?!"_

" _I just hope he doesn't have to. But if he does, he just might have the fighting chance to stop her with the help of his imagins and friends." Professor Ozpin said to Professor Goodwitch._

 _She stayed quiet as she decided to change the subject and asked, "What did you use as relics this year?" Professor Ozpin stayed quiet as she asked again, "Professor Ozpin?" He didn't say anything else as he kept thinking about the future._

* * *

After killing a group of beowolves, I heard a series of gunshots ringing out throughout the forest. 'Seems like some of the students ran into trouble.' I kept moving forward as I stopped to see a small temple with a few chess pieces on each table. I noticed that a few of the pieces were missing. 'Guess this is the relics.' I was ready to grab a random relic until I heard footsteps coming towards my direction. In survival instincts, I pulled out the Momotarosword, ready to slash at whatever was approaching me. The bushes shook as I saw Yang and Blake, popping out.

Yang looked around before she saw me. She waved gleefully at me as she said, "Hey Kurokuu!"

"Hey Yang! Blake. Did you just get here?"

"Yep, I just had to handle a few ursas."

"Oh I see."

Yang looks at me as she notices the sword I was holding. She looks at it as she said, "Sweet sword you got there."

"Thanks! My um… My semblance allows me to change my aura signature. But with some training I could use that aura signature and shape it into a physical form." I lied to Yang.

She seemed to buy at what I was saying as she said, "Cool!" She looks at the temple as she asked, "Are these the relics?"

"Yep, I was about to grab one until you guys came."

Blake looks around as she asked, "Wait, were you by yourself the entire time?"

"Well the number of first year students are odd. So I'm bound to be stuck with a group of three instead of a partner."

Blake looked at me in understandment as Yang said, "Well, you're with us I guess." We all walked back up to the temple as we looked at the pieces. Yang analyzes the golden knight piece as she picks it up and asked Blake, "How about a cute little pony?"

Blake smirks as she picks up the golden knight piece and said, "Sure."

I looked around for a piece I want until I saw knight piece that looked different from the others. Instead of gold or black colored, it was made of diamonds. I analyzed it as I grabbed the diamond knight piece and shoved it in my pocket. I returned back to Blake and Yang as I said, "Well, objective complete?"

"That wasn't too hard!" Yang bragged.

"Well, it's not like this place is very difficult to find." Blake said nonchalantly. We all shared a smiled until we heard a girlish scream.

Yang looked in the direction of the source of the scream as she said, "Some girl is in trouble!" Yang and I were still looking at the direction of the scream until I turned to Blake, who was looking in the sky. Yang was still looking at the direction of the scream as she asked, "Blake, Kurokuu, did you hear that?" She turns to Blake as she asked, "What should we do?"

Yang finally looked up with me and Blake as we saw Ruby, falling from the sky, shouting, "Heads uuuuuuuup!"

I acted quickly as I said to Yang, "Yang! Catch Ruby before she falls!" Yang quickly complied until a blur of yellow and blue flew straight into Ruby, knocking them into the tree.

Blake looks at Yang as she asked, "Did your sister just fall from sky?"

Yang was ready to answer her question until we heard noise coming from the forest. Coming out of the forest was Nora riding on an ursa? Nora rode the ursa on the back as she shouted, "YEE-HAW!" She rolls of the back of the ursa and gets up. She groans as she said, "Awww..It's broken."

And behind Nora was Ren as he finally caught up to her, out of breath. He said through his breathing, "Nora! Please... Don't ever do that again." He looked up to only see a cloud of dust left behind by Nora.

Nora was at the temple as she analyzes the golden rook piece. "Oooooh." she grabbed the piece and said as she danced around, "I'm queen of the castle! I'm queen of the castle!"

"NORA!"

Nora tilts her head as she lets the piece roll off of her head and into her hands as she said, "Coming Ren!"

I looked in confusion as I said, "Did Nora just ride on an ursa?

Yang was about to answer again until she was interrupted by Pyrrha running with a deathstalker on her tail. Out of anything in the forest, why a deathstalker? As Pyrrha was running she shouted out, "Jaune!"

"Pyrrha!" I turned to the source of the voice as I saw Jaune and Ruby stuck in a tree. Ruby jumped off the tree as Jaune whined, "Ruby!"

Yang sees Ruby as she shouts out, "Ruby!"

Yang's shouts got Ruby's attention as she shouted, "Yang!" She ran to Yang with a big hug.

Until Nora came in between them and shouted, "Nora!"

Blake looks at Pyrrha and deathstalker as she asked, "Did she just run all the way here with a deathstalker on her tail?"

Yang clenched her fist as her hair burst in flames and her eyes turns red. She yells as she said, "I can't take it anymore! Can everyone just chill out for two seconds before something crazy happens again?!"

Yang calmed down, Ren running towards Nora, and Ruby and Blake looked up. Ruby tugged Yang's arm as she said, "Umm..Yang?"

She points up to the nevermore above us. And on said nevermore was Weiss. Wait what?! Weiss?! Weiss looks down at us as she shouts, "How could you leave me?!"

Ruby shouts back, " I said 'jump!'"

Blake said to Ruby, "She's gonna fall."

"She'll be fine."

"She's falling." Ren answered.

I started to panic as I was trying to find a way to save Weiss. I shouted to Yang, "Yang! Boost me!" She complied as I ran up to her and jumped on her back. She used her gauntlets as force to push me off her back and send me flying to Weiss. As I flew straight through the air, I accidently punched Jaune in the process and he fell straight down. Weiss fell into my arms as I turned my back to the ground to lessen the fall damage for Weiss. We braced for impact as my body was slammed into the ground, leaving a small crater. I groaned in pain as I checked on Weiss' condition.

She looked relatively fine except for a few dirt in her hair. She got up slightly as she saw the condition I was in. She looked extremely worried as she shouted, "Kurokuu! Are you okay?! Say something!"

I groaned as I said, "I'm fine Weiss. Now can you get off of me?"

Weiss blushes at the position we were in. She immediately gets off of me as we dust ourselves off. I looked at Jaune, who was rubbing his face, and said, "Sorry about the punch there, buddy."

"It's fine."

We turned to Pyrrha as she was tossed by a deathstalker. Yang said in sarcasm, "Great! The gang's all here! Now we can die together!"

"Not if I can help it!" Ruby said as she dashed towards the deathstalker.

Yang looked worried as she shouted, "Ruby, wait!"

Ruby ran in battle as she pulls out her weapon and fires at the deathstalker. The deathstalker didn't feel the bullets as it simply pushes Ruby out of the way. She gets up as she said, "D-Do-Don't worry! Totally fine!" She turns back to the deathstalker and kept on firing. She realizes that the bullets were ineffective against it as she sheathed her weapon and kept running.

Yang runs to Ruby as she shouted, "Ruby!" Ruby tries to run to Yang but the nevermore from above fired its feathers which caught on Ruby's hood. Yang shouts, "Ruby! Get out of there!"

"I'm trying!" Ruby shouted as she pulled on her cloak. I saw the deathstalker about to strike so I readied the sword, dashed towards it, and slashed at the tail. It roared in pain as the stinger pierced through my aura and knocking me straight into the tree. I groaned in pain as I slowly fell unconscious.

* * *

 _Ruby looked at Kurokuu as he was flung across the trees by the deathstalker. "Kurokuu!" She heard another growl as the deathstalker returned its attention back at Ruby, ready to sting her. She closed her eyes waiting for the attack, until she heard the sounds of ice cracking._

" _You are so childish!"_

 _Ruby looks up to see Weiss, using Myrtenaster to encase the stinger. "Weiss?"_

 _She pulls her Myrtenaster away from the ice as she said, "And dim-witted, and hyperactive, and don't even get me started on your fighting style. And I suppose I can be a bit... difficult... but if we're going to do this, we're going to have to do this together. So if you quit trying to show off, I'll be... nicer."_

" _I'm not trying to show off. I want you to know that I can do this."_

" _You're fine." Weiss said as she walked away._

 _Ruby sighed in relief as Yang rushes towards Ruby and hugs her tightly. "So happy you're okay!" They stared at each other until they look up to see the nevermore circling around._

 _Weiss walks towards the group as she said, "How's Kurokuu's condition?"_

 _Ren walks to Kurokuu and check up on him as he said, "His aura reserves is low. He's out cold."_

 _Jaune said with urgency, "Guys? That thing's circling back! What are we gonna do?"_

" _Look, there's no sense in dilly-dallying. Our objective is right in front of us." Weiss said as they all looked at their relics._

" _She's right. Our mission is to grab an artifact and make it back to the cliffs. There's no point in fighting these things." Ruby said as she nods to Weiss._

" _Run and live - that's an idea I can get behind!" Jaune said cowardly._

 _Everyone grabs their relics as Yang asks, "So..Who's gonna carry Kurokuu?"_

 _Nora jumps up with her hand in their air as she said, "Oooh! Oooh! Me! Me!"_

 _Nora looks at Ren, waiting for his answer. Ren sighs as he said, "Okay Nora. Don't hurt him okay?"_

 _She salutes as she said, "Yessir Renny!" She walks towards Kurokuu, ready to pick him up until she stops. She looks at Kurokuu curiously as she asked everyone, "Hey guys, you said that his aura reserves are empty, right?" Everyone nodded in confirmation as she said, "Well his aura is at his maximum."_

 _Everyone looked at her as if she was joking. Everyone walked towards Kurokuu as they also notice the increased aura around him. Then a jolt of electricity pulsed around his body as he stood back up. His appearance and aura changed completely, Momotaros has possessed the unconscious Kurokuu. Everyone backed away as he said_ _ **, "ORE SANJOU!"**_

 _Weiss looks at him curiously as she asked, "Kurokuu, are you okay?"_

" _ **Uhhhh.."**_ _Momotaros tried to remembered the cover story that Kurokuu made up for them. He calmed down as he said_ _ **, "No. I'm one of his personalities. Can't believe Kurokuu got one shot by a deathstalker. Guess I have to save the day."**_

 _Weiss immediately understood what he meant as they heard the deathstalker attempting to break out of the bonds. Ren alerts everyone as he said, "Time we left!"_

 _Ruby leads the group as she said, "Right, let's go!" Everyone was ready to run as Momotaros stood still._

 _Yang looked at Momotaros as she said, "Are you insane? We gotta go!"_

 _Momotaros chuckled as he said_ _ **, "When the climax starts, I'll be there till the end."**_ _Momotaros conjured his sword as he told everyone_ _ **, "Go, I'll handle this oversized bug!"**_

 _Weiss looked shocked as she shouted, "Are you insane! You can't-"_

" _Let him stay. If he wants to fight it then let him. Right now we have to finish the task." Blake said._

 _Weiss was about to argue until she sighed and said, "Come on, let's go." Everyone decided to listen to Weiss as she and Ruby flee, leaving Momotaros behind._

 _Momotaros looks at the group fleeing before looking back at the deathstalker. He laughs as he said_ _ **, "Now that they're gone."**_ _He pulls out the Den-O belt and connects it around his waist. He pulls out the pass as Momotaros said_ _ **, "Time for me to go out all out!"**_ _Momotaros clicks the red button as it plays the electronic music. He poses as he said_ _ **, "HENSHIN!"**_ _He swiped the pass in front of the belt as it called out._

 _ **SWORD FORM**_

 _He was in the platform armor until red armor pieces flew around him. The pieces combine to form the armor as the faceplate descends down the helmet. The transformation is complete as Momotaros said_ _ **, "ORE SANJOU!"**_

* * *

I slowly wake up as I noticed I was in the Den-O armor. I realized that Momotaros possessed me and asked him, 'What happened? Where's everyone?'

" **Everyone left. Don't worry, no one will see the armor."**

I sighed slightly as I noticed the deathstalker in front of us. I looked at it in fear as I asked, 'Momotaros. Why are you going against that?'

Momotaros assembled his sword as he said **, "We're at the climax. And we are gonna go through it all! IKUZE! IKUZE! IKUZE!"** Momotaros charged at the imagin, slashing the body over and over. The deathstalker seems unfazed by the attack as it simply used its claws and pushes him out of the way. Momotaros gets more angry as he tries to immobilize it by destroying the legs. The deathstalker saw what Momotaros was about to do so he uses his stinger to stab him. Momotaros rolls from left and right as he tries to evade the stinger. Momotaros was near its legs as he used sword and cut off all the legs on the left side. It roared in pain as it laid on the floor slowly bleeding out. Momotaros was ready for the killing blow until he heard a pack of beowolves and ursas approaching.

Momotaros growls as he shouts **, "REALLY? NOW?"**

He was ready to handle the horde until Urataros appeared in his translucent form and said **, 'Oooh. Time's up for you senpai. My turn.'**

" **Hey what the hell do you thi-"** Momotaros was interrupted as Urataros jumped inside Kurokuu, knocking Momotaros out. The armor split apart as it reposition itself to show the blue armor.

 **ROD FORM**

The blue pieces combined together as the red faceplate disappears and is replace by the blue faceplate. The armor change is finished as Urataros said **, "Mind if I reel you all in?"**

'Urataros? What's with the switch out for?'

Urataros said while assembling his rod **, "Cause why not? Now, time for them to get the bait."** The beowolves and ursas charged straight at Urataros. Urataros spun his rod around as he charged and stabbed the first incoming beowolf. He picked the beowolf up and threw it at the other two incoming beowolves. The ursa ran up to Urataros only for him to trip the ursa and stab it in the head. The two beowolves recovered as they surround him, covering his twelve and six. Urataros saw the situation he was in and spun his rod three sixty, tripping the beowolves. He stabs the two beowolves as he turns around to see three beowolves, four ursa, and one ursa major. He scoffs at his challenged as he swings his rod. The rod unleashed a fishing line that clumped the grimms together. They couldn't move or break out as Urataros pulls out his pass and said **, "Time to bring down the harpoon."** He places the pass in front of the belt as it called out.

 **FULL CHARGE**

Blue lasers entered the rod as Urataros raises it. He aims the rod and throws it in the middle of the horde. The hexagon appeared above them as Urataros runs and jumps straight in the air. He dive kicks into the horde as all of the grimm explode. Urataros dust himself off as he notice the deathstalker limping toward him. Urataros scoffs as he was about to do another finisher until Momotaros appears in his translucent form and shouts **, 'OI! I GET THE HISSATSU!'**

Urataros panics as he said **, "Senpai wait no-"** He was interrupted as Momotaros took back control of Kurokuu's body. The armor splits apart once again as it reposition itself back to the red armor.

 **SWORD FORM**

The blue faceplate was replaced by the red faceplate. Momotaros growls as he reassembles the sword again and said **, "NO ONE INTERRUPTS MY HISSATSU!"** He places the pass in front of the belt as it called out.

 **FULL CHARGE**

He threw the pass on the ground as red lasers enter the sword. The blade shines brightly as Momotaro said **, "Ore no hissatsu waza, part three!"** The blade flew away from the sword. He swings downward causing the blade to move into the ground. Momotaros drags the blade through the ground as he charges into the wounded deathstalker. He stops at a certain distance as he raises the hilt upward, causing the blade the move upward from the ground and slice the deathstalker at the unprotected part. The deathstalker explodes at the blade returns back to the hilt. Momotaros chuckled at the work he did as he said **, "Now that's a climax!"**

'I don't know about that. I gotta give props on your originality since all you do is swing the sword left to right and strike downward.'

" **Oi! Shut up!"** Momotaros said. I laughed by myself until Urataros laughed with me in his sand form. Momotaros groans as he disconnects the belt from his waist, causing the armor to dissipate. Momotaros jumped out of my body as he turned back into his sand form as well.

I sighed as I said, "Thanks guys, for helping me through this."

" **It's no problem. Consider this a 'thank you' for saving me from death."** Urataros said.

" **You still need to work on your swordplay. It's all over the place! And you know how embarrassing it was to see you get one shot by a deathstalker." Momotaros** said. I cringed slightly at the memory of how I got one shot by a deathstalker.

Then I heard multiple gunshots being fired off in the distance. I turned to the source and glared into the distance. My eyes widened as I saw Ruby carrying a nevermore with her scythe and chopping its head off. I stood in shock at her performance. I think I'm scared of her now. I turned on my scroll as it said 11:37 in the morning. I look at Momotaros and Urataros and said, "I think it's about time that I head back." They both agree as they disappeared, leaving me behind. I sighed as I walked back to the cliffs on my own.

* * *

"Russel Thrush. Cardin Winchester. Dove Bronzewing. Sky Lark. The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team CRDL (Cardinal), led by... Cardin Winchester!" Professor Ozpin announced. Everyone in the crowd clapped at the appearance of Team CRDL. Mai was on stage, directing Team CRDL off stage and signaled Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren to enter on the stage. They faced the stage as Professor Ozpin said, "Jaune Arc. Lie Ren. Pyrrha Nikos. Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team JNPR (Juniper)." Ruby's group and I cheered for them as Nora bear hugs Ren. "Led by… Jaune Arc."

Jaune looked surprised as he asked, "Huh? L-Led by...?

"Congratulation, young man." Professor Ozpin praised. We laughed as Pyrrha shoulder bumps Jaune, who fell on the ground. Mai directs Team JNPR offstage as she signals Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang to go up. They faced the stage as Professor Ozpin said, "Blake Belladonna. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY (Ruby). Led by... Ruby Rose!"

Weiss looked surprised as Yang hugs Ruby and said, "I'm so proud of you!"

I cheered loudly, "GREAT JOB TEAM RWBY!"

They stepped off as Professor Ozpin said, "Now lastly, Kurokuu Akarui." I panicked as I rushed to the stage. As I ran across the stage, I tripped over my feet. Everyone laughed while Mai cringed at what happened to me. I got back up, dust myself off, and faced the stage as Professor Ozpin said, "Mr. Akarui, you have retrieved the diamond knight piece. You have performed exceptionally well but I can't allow you to go solo, so I'll give you a choice. I'll let you assist a team of your choosing."

I took a deep breath as I said, "I choose to assist Team RWBY."

Professor Ozpin smiled as he said, "Excellent choice. You are now the unofficial member of Team RWBY." Everyone clapped while Team RWBY and JNPR cheered loudly for me. I looked back to Mai to see her cheering for my accomplishment. I took a deep breath as I thought to myself, 'This will be an interesting year for me.'

* * *

 _It's currently night time as Roman Torchwick was on the scroll with his contractor. The warehouse is filled with crates of dust from all of the robberies they pulled off. Roman was getting more angry as he said, "Are you kidding me?! We had a deal and you're telling me that I don't have enough?! I have about five hundred crates of dust crystals, and you need more?!"_

 _As the call continues, Roman's eyes showed fear as he gulped and said, "Fine, one thousand crates of dust crystals it is. Have a nice evening." The call ends as he slams the scroll on the table. He rubs his face in exhaustion as the warehouse door opens. The door opens to reveal the bat imagin, carrying two suitcases. He lays the cases in front of Roman as he examines the content inside._

 _He smirks as he said, "Great job! Now I had a call with our contractor. And it turns out, that they need more dust crystals. Around one thousand crates worth of it. And if you would so kindly gets some more, it would be appreciated." The bat imagine nods as he flies off to find more dust. As he left, Roman walks to a table with a map of the dust transportation throughout Vale. He ponders as he said, "We're gonna need more men."_


	5. Chapter 5: Same Past, Different Futures

(A/N:) Hey everyone, I'm back! Yes, I'm sorry if I haven't post any chapters recently. It's due yo my outside life and how hectic it has been recently so I hope you can all understand. But now I'm back with a new chapter of Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time. Kurokuu was able to pass the test and became the fifth member of Team RWBY. What will happen next? Find out now!

I do not I own the rights to the series RWBY or Kamen Rider. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth Productions and The Kamen Rider Series is owned by Toei Company

"Normal Speech"

'Thoughts/Inner communication between OC and imagin'

 _"Third Person"_

 **"Imagin speech"**

* * *

 _It was currently morning at Beacon Academy. In the dorm of Team RWBY, Weiss is sleeping soundly in her bed. Her eyes flutter open as she wakes up and stretches her arms while yawning. Weiss is trying recovering from her drowsiness until Ruby, in her school uniform, creeps up next to her with a whistle. Ruby takes a big breath as she blows into the whistle loudly. Weiss freaks out from the sound and fell off the bed._

" _Good morning, Team RWBY!" Ruby said energetically._

 _Weiss, now fully awake and furious, said, "What in the world is wrong with you?"_

 _Ruby ignores her question as she said, "Now that you're awake, we can officially begin our first order of business."_

 _Weiss brushes herself off and stood up as she asked, "Excuse me?"_

" _Decorating!" Yang shouted in excitement._

" _What?!"_

 _Blake lifts her suitcase and said, "We still have to unpack." The suitcase opens and all of her stuff falls out of the suitcase. "Aaaaand clean."_

" _Aaaalright! Weiss, Blake, Yang, and their fearless leader Ruby have begun their first mission!" Ruby said energetically. She raises her fist in the air as she shouted, "BANZAI!"_

 _Blake and Yang joined Ruby and said, "BANZAI!" They turned at an angle at the same time. As they were about to start unpacking, Yang notices Kurokuu, still sleeping. She sighs as she asked Weiss, "Hey ice queen, can you wake up Kurokuu over there?" Weiss nods as she walks up to Kurokuu. She was about to wake him up until she notices Kurokuu shedding a small tear in his sleep. 'Is he crying? What is he dreaming about that is making him cry?'_

 _It was currently night time at Kibogahara Park. The stars in the sky were shining brightly down on two people hugging each other for warmth. One was a man wearing blue puffy jacket, jeans, white shoes, and a white baseball cap that covered his eyes. The other person was Kasumi, smiling happily as she rests her head against his chest. I walked up to them with cups of hot chocolate. They smiled at me as we sat together, watching the stars in the night sky. The man in the hat pulls out a stopwatch so he could check the time. I look at the back of the stopwatch as it read, "The past should give us hope." I looked back to the sky as I saw a shooting star pass through the sky. I pointed excitedly in the sky as the man and Kasumi chuckled at my childlike excitement. I turned to Kasumi as her face changed from happiness to sadness. I wondered why she was looking like that until I looked at my surroundings. I realized I was at the lake again. I saw Kasumi standing in the water by herself. She turned around and smiled at me through her tear stained face. I fell on my knees as I shouted to her, "KASUMI!"_

I slowly opened my eyelids as I was trying to shake off the drowsiness. I yawned loudly as the first thing I saw was Weiss in my face. I freaked out and I fell off my bed, "WEISS! PERSONAL SPACE PLEASE!"

She had a worried look on her face until her face changes into her usual face as she said, "Well if you didn't know, we are unpacking our stuff right now. And that means you as well, so wake up and start unpacking."

I groaned loudly as I said, "I do it. Just let me do my morning routine." I walked to the bathroom and turned on the lights. I brushed my teeth and splashed my face to wake myself up. As I finished splashing water in my face, I stared in the mirror as I thought about my dream I had. 'Why? Why did you leave her all alone?'

* * *

 **Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time**

 **Chapter 5: Same Past, Different Futures**

* * *

After I did my morning routine and changed into my uniform, I started to unpack my belongings. There was a small shelf with a tv on it, so I decided to set up my Scroll Box Console for us to play. I put the games that I brought inside the shelf where we keep the books. As I was placing the games in. I saw a weird book called "Ninjas of Love." Curious about what it was about, I took the book and opened up a random page. As I skimmed through it, I blushed immediately at the details the author put in this. I quickly put it back where it was. 'I can never unsee the sheath for the katana.' I thought to myself as I continued putting the games in the shelf.

After unpacking everything, we had one tiny situation. Our beds can't fit the room. I sighed as I said, "I think we might need to ditch the bed."

"Exactly what I was thinking." Yang said.

Ruby ponders a bit until her eyes lit up as she said, "Or we could ditch the beds... and replace them with bunk beds!"

"Umm, that sounds incredibly dangerous." Weiss argued.

"And super-awesome!" Yang said excitedly.

I said to Weiss, "This could help make more room for us."

"And it does seem efficient." Blake agreed.

"Well, we should put it to a vote!" Weiss argued.

Ruby said, "I think we just did." Blake had to thumbs up for approval, Yang had a double rocker gesture, Weiss angrily curls her fist to the side, while I showed Ruby the "okay" hand gesture. We all started to work on creating the bunk beds with whatever we had at the moment.

After a strenuous and tedious work, the bunk beds are finally finished. Ruby's bed is above Weiss', which is hanging dangerously above her with ropes. And Yang's bed is above Blake's being held by stacks of books. And my bed was at the bottom left corner of the room since I was odd man out. Well, at least I'm safe from being crushed by a bed.

"Objective: Complete!" Ruby exclaimed. "Allllright! Our second order of business iiiiiiiis...!" Ruby said as she made her way to her bed. She looks at a schedule book and said, "Classes..." Ruby pulls out a pencil and continued, "Now, we have a few classes together today. At 9, we've got to be-"

"What?! Did you say 9 o'clock?" Weiss interrupted.

"Ummm…"

"It's 8:55, you dunce!" Weiss said as she bolted out of the room and into the hallways.

Us and Team JNPR peeked out of our dorms as Ruby said, "To class!" We all bolted through the hallways. As I was running, I quickly felt tired as I felt the consequence of having two imagins in me. I fell in my knees as I tried to catch my breath. "Momotaros. Urataros. How are you guys so heavy?"

Urataros heard what I said and replied **, 'Hey don't blame me. Also it could be Momotaros since**

 **All he does all day is drink coffee and sit around.'**

 **'Oi I heard that turtle soup!'** Momotaros spat at Urataros.

"Is this a normal thing when it comes with having more than one imagin in my body?"

Urataros said **, 'Yes, there are occasions when a contractor has too many imagin in them. Most of the time, it would take at least three or more to yield those kind of results that you're having.'**

Urataros stopped talking as I asked, "Urataros, is there something wrong?"

Urataros snapped out of his thinking phase as he said **, 'No, it's probably nothing. You should get to class if you don't want to be late.'**

I gasped as I noticed the time on my scroll. It's 8:58! I can't get there in time. Then I heard loud footsteps coming from the hallways. I look down as I saw a wild Nora running through the halls. I panicked as I jumped up, only to be shoulder riding on Nora. I screamed at the speed Nora was going as I shouted, "NORA, SLOW DOWN. I'M RIDING ON YOUR SHOULDERS!"

Nora said with a grin, "Sorry, it's a race against time. So hold on!" Nora began to go faster and faster. I wasn't able to hold on long enough as my body hanged upside down behind her. She held onto my legs so I didn't fall face plant on the floor. I look at the other teammates of Team JNPR as they were trying to catch up with Nora.

I shouted to Ren, "Ren! Tell Nora to slow down!"

"No can do Kurokuu. Once Nora is dead set on doing something, she never stops." Ren replied. I groaned as Nora kept on running. Nora stopped running abruptly.

I noticed that we were inside the lecture halls. I sighed with relief as I said, "Yes, it's finally over. Uhhh...Nora, can you let me go now?" Nora complies as she simply let go, making me fall on my face. As Team JNPR caught up, I stood back up and brush myself off. I looked at the students around me including Team RWBY. They also seem to stare at me until I felt a presence behind me. I turned around to see a wolf faunus behind me. He had mess black hair, red eyes, and blue wolf ears. He was wearing a black suit but without the tie.

He growled at me as he said, "You're lucky that all of you aren't late." I whimpered at his tone as he continued, "Now all of you, get your ass back to your seat or you'll get an earful for me!" Team JNPR and I quickly complied as we made our way to the remaining seats. As I sat next to Weiss, I saw Mai sitting at the teacher's desk, looking at me.

I turned to Weiss as she asked, "What took you so long?"

I was about to answer until the teacher interrupted me and said, "Welcome to Aura Manipulation Class. I'm your teacher, Garulu Jiro. But you will all call me Professor Jiro. I'll say this now, I do not tolerate slacking of any kind. So if any of you slack off, expect your grades to drop tremendously." All the students shivered at the time of his voice. He picks up his textbook and said, "Now, open your textbook to page 12 of Introduction to Aura Manipulation." I opened my book as I knew that this would be a long day.

* * *

 _On the Den-Liner, Urataros sat calmly as he sips his cup of coffee while Naomi is making more coffee for the other passengers in the dining car. Momotaros was tapping his foot up and down as he slowly starts to get angry. He clenches his fist as he stands up and yells loudly, disrupting the passengers on board._ **"** _ **I'M SO BORED! THERE'S NOTHING TO DO ON THE OUM FORSAKEN TRAIN!"**_

 _Naomi was about to bring the coffee to Momotaros before Urataros went up to her and said_ _ **, "Allow me Naomi. You have done a lot of work for these passengers. I'll serve it to senpai."**_

" _Thanks Urataros!" Naomi said cheerfully as she gave the cup of coffee to Urataros and walks back to her counter. Urataros chuckled as he places a pill inside the coffee. He walks up to Momotaros and places the coffee down. Momotaros looks at Urataros as he said said_ _ **, "Here, drink this senpai. It'll help you ease your temper."**_

 _Momotaros accepts the coffee as he stares as Urataros suspiciously. He sniffs the coffee for a bit before tasting it. He looks at Urataros and said_ _ **, "Thanks...I guess."**_

 **"** _ **Anything for my senpai. Think of it as a token of my appreciation."**_ _Urataros said as Momotaros drinks all of the coffee, including the pill inside._

 **"** _ **Mmmmm...That's a good coffee."**_ _Momotaros said happily. Momotaros stood up as he wraps his arm around Urataros as he said_ _ **, "I think you and me can get along just fine."**_

 **"** _ **Yep, senpai."**_ _Urataros said simply._

 _Momotaros sat back down and he noticed that he felt suddenly fatigue. He tried to keep his eyelids open but he couldn't stay awake any longer. Momotaros fell asleep in an instant. Urataros chuckled as he noticed that Kurokuu was also asleep as well._ **"** _ **Time for me to have some fun."**_

* * *

 _Period Four: Combat Class_

 _Team R(W)BY sat silently at the bleachers with Kurokuu, who is currently sleeping. They watch as Weiss is sparing with another student. He has black crew cut hair with green eyes. He is wearing a black tank top with a red flannel that has the sleeves rolled up to the upper arm, a black wristband, cargo pants, and black canvas sneakers._

 _Weiss is currently dominating the student in the spar as she mercilessly attacks him over and over. He picks himself back up as he swings his flail around. Weiss immediately sees the spiked ball coming in her direction and evades the attack. The student growls as the spiked ball connected back onto the hilt and changes into a mace. He charges straight at Weiss as she simply conjured up an ice wall to slow the student down. His mace is stuck in the ice wall, giving Weiss the advantage for the finishing attack. She uses her glyphs to send her over the wall. As she was falling, she switches the dust in Myrtenaster from ice dust to lightning dust. And she thrust her rapier into the student, shocking him until his aura is red. Mai blew the whistle, which signals the end of the match. She walks up to the both of them as she said, "Well done Weiss, you have shown great skills." Weiss nods happily as Mai continued, "Connor, although you fought well. You're anger has proned you to make bad decisions in battle." The student, now named Connor, growls at Mai as he walks back to the locker rooms._

 _Professor Goodwitch came in as she said, "That was an excellent performance, Ms. Schnee. You may return to the bleachers." Weiss nods as she complies to what Professor Goodwitch said._

 _Waiting for Weiss at the bleacher is a happy Ruby, a sleeping Kurokuu, a cheerful Yang, and the silent Blake. Ruby hugged Weiss tightly as she said, "WEISS, THAT WAS SO AWESOME!"_

 _Weiss gasp for air as she said, "Let go of me you dolt!" Ruby became instantly silent as she lets go of Weiss._

 _As Weiss dust herself off, Yang came in and said, "Weiss, calm down. Ruby was just excited that you did so well."_

" _As if I need any praise from her." Weiss said. Yang rolls her eyes as she sat back down. Blake still kept her eyes in the book, not paying attention to any of them. And Ruby is just looking at the other students' weapons. Weiss turns to Kurokuu as she asked everyone, "Is Kurokuu still sleeping?"_

" _Yeah, he's been like that since the beginning of class." Blake answered._

 _Yang joined the conversation as she said, "He's been like that throughout the whole day so far. I wonder why he's like that."_

" _Like I care about his sleep schedule. If he sleeps during class, he'll deal with the consequences." Weiss said._

" _Geez Weiss, why are you giving Kurokuu the 'cold shoulder?' Eh? Eh? That's pretty good right?" Weiss and Ruby groaned loudly at Yang's pum while Blake simply kept quiet. Then the feedback from the microphone played loudly as it caught the students' attention._

 _Professor Goodwitch and Mai faces the students as Professor Goodwitch said, "Now, before we leave we have one more battle. Can I get Mr. Akarui and Mr. Thrush to come down to the arena, please?"_

 _Weiss looks at Kurokuu and groans as she said, "I swear if I have to wake him up everyday." She walks up to Kurokuu and shakes his shoulder. He still wasn't reacting Weiss yelled, "You dolt, wake up! You have a match to do!"_

 _She still got no response until his eyes shot open. Kurokuu's eyes turned from dark brown to blue and his appearance changed. Urataros had just taken over the sleeping Kurokuu. Urataros stood up as he adjust his glasses and said_ _ **, "Another fish ready to be reeled in by yours truly."**_

* * *

 _Meanwhile in the locker rooms, Connor is punching his locker over and over. His knuckles were bleeding due to his low aura reserves. He kept punching relentlessly as he said, "THAT DAMN SCHNEE!" He stopped punching his locker as he started to calm down. He breathed heavily as he looked inside his locker which had a picture of a young boy and an older man. He grabbed the picture and sighed with a hint of sadness. Then a yellow orb phased through the wall and possessed Connor. He felt a jolt of pain as he notices the sand coming off of him. The sand formed into a crow imagin, which caused Connor to fall on the ground in fear._

 _The crow imagin walks up to him as he said_ _ **, "Tell me your wish, I will grant that wish. But you must repay me with one thing."**_ _Connor is shocked at what he was seeing. Out of instinct, he grabbed his mace and tried to attack it. But since he was made of sand, the mace went through him and the sand formed back together._ **"** _ **I wouldn't do that if I were you. Now I'll ask again, tell me your wish."**_

 _Connor was about to say something until he thought about he said. Any wish he wants? Connor thought about what he truly wanted. And that was to put that Schnee in her place. He wanted revenge. Connor said nervously, "I want to put that Schnee in her place. I want my revenge for what her family did."_

 **"** _ **Very well."**_ _The crow imagin said as he gains his physical form. Connor then felt very fatigue all of the sudden and leaned his head against the wall. His eyes grew heavy as he couldn't stay awake anymore._

* * *

 _Urataros and Russell both walked towards the arena, ready to fight each other. Russell twirled his daggers as he said, "The odd man of Team RWBY. You don't look like much so how about I give you a chance. I let you take the first shot." Urataros chuckles at Russell's overconfidence as Russell looks at him curiously and asked, "What's so funny?"_

 **"** _ **Seems like I don't need a rod to catch this fish."**_ _Urataros said._

" _The hell is that supposed to mean?" His question was answered as Urataros ran at fast speed and punched him straight in the face, pushing Russell into the wall. Russell groans in pain as he looks up to see Urataros cracking his knuckles. He made a "come at me" gesture which caused Russell to be infuriated. Russell grabbed his dagger and threw it straight at Urataros. Urataros acted quickly and avoided the blade. Russell ran up to him, full speed, with his daggers out. He slashed the air as Urataros simply avoided them. Russell went in for a stab, only for Urataros to block the attack and disarm one of his daggers. Russell used the other one to slash Urataros, only for Urataros to avoided the attack and kick the other dagger out of his hand. Russell clenched his hand in pain as Urataros sweep kicked Russell, causing him to fall on the ground. Russell couldn't get up in time as Urataros did an axe kick him in the stomach, knocking him out cold._

 _The whistle blew as Mai came and stopped the spar. Mai picked up Russell as she said, "The winner of the spar is Kurokuu." The students didn't react because of how quickly the match ended and how Urataros still had all of his aura._

 _In the crowd, Ruby stood up and cheered, "YEAH KUROKUU, SHOW WHAT TEAM RWBY IS ALL ABOUT!" Everyone snapped out of their state and started to clap for Urataros._

 _Urataros bowed until Mai walked up behind him. Mai grabbed his shoulder and whispered, "Urataros, what are you doing here? You're supposed to stay on the Den-Liner. I thought we said that you and Momotaros are not allowed to possess him unless it's an emergency."_

 **"Well you see-"**

"And if you say one lie, you and my fist is gonna get real close. _" Mai threatened._

Urataros sighed and wrapped his arms around Mai **, "** _ **Look why don't you just calm down and we could talk about this over lunch. Sounds good?"**_

 _Mai started to clench her fist as she socked Urataros in the face, causing him to jump out of Kurokuu's body. Kurokuu flopped on the ground as Mai gasped and said, "Kurokuu! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"_

 _Kurokuu wasn't responding and the students were eyeing her suspiciously. Professor Goodwitch stepped in and said, "Students, you have all done well. That is all for today, you are all dismissed." The students all left, except Team RWBY and JNPR._

 _Weiss walked up to Mai and said, "Why did you punch Kurokuu for?"_

" _Uhhhh...His semblance went out of control, so I had to punch him hard to bring him back!" Mai lied nervously._

 _Team RWBY and JNPR eyed her until Professor Goodwitch said, "Team RWBY and JNPR, the state of Mr. Akarui is our responsibility. We'll take good care of him." Team RWBY and JNPR seem to accept what Professor Goodwitch as they walked out of the gym. Professor Goodwitch adjusts her glasses as she said, "Well, I'll bring Mr. Thrush to the infirmary while you watch over Mr. Akarui." Mai nods as Professor Goodwitch uses her semblance and levitates Russell. She leaves with Russell as Mai sat alone with the unconscious Kurokuu._

* * *

I slowly open my eyes as the bright light entered through my eyes. I sat up and felt great pain on my face. 'What just happened?' I thought to myself as I looked at my surrounding. The first thing I saw was Mai sitting next to me. Mai noticed that I was awake and asked,"Hey are you okay?"

"Yeah, what happened?"

Mai sighed as she said, "While you were asleep, Urataros possessed you."

I groaned as I said, "So you decided to punch me in the face to get him out?"

"Well if you were awake, I wouldn't have to resort to that solution so don't blame me since you have two imagins in you." I scratched my head embarrassingly as I realized who is at fault. Mai gritted her teeth as she said, "Damn Momotaros! He can't do anything other than destroy stuff!"

I stayed silent as I noticed that there wasn't anyone around me other than Mai. I asked, "Hey Mai. Where's everyone else?"

"Combat class is over right now. It's lunch."

"Wait what! I slept through the entire class?!"

"Yeah, Team RWBY and JNPR wanted to stay until you were awake. But Professor Goodwitch was able to convince them to go on without you."

I got off the bleachers and stretched my arms as I said, "Well I should go back to them before I worry them more."

"Alright then, I'll see you next period." Mai said as I walked to the locker rooms. As I was about to approach the lockers until Mai stopped me and asked, "Hey Kurokuu, did Momotaros or Urataros mention anything about any imagin activity yet?"

"No it's been rather quiet lately." I answered.

"Strange, usually the imagin would want to form a contract with anyone at moments notice to get their physical form back. But recently there hasn't been any attacks."

I took her words in consideration. Mai is right about the imagin's inactivity. Why haven't they been forming contract with any humans recently? I look to Mai as I said, "You're right about that it does seem strange." Mai started to look more worried at what I said. I try to calm her down as I said, "Hey, probably it's nothing. Besides isn't it good that here isn't any imagin activity? I mean at least it would give us a break."

Mai sighed as she said, "Well I guess you're right. You should start changing." I nodded as I entered the locker rooms. I looked around for my locker until I saw the student that fought Weiss sleeping against his locker.

'Strange, why is he still here?' I thought to myself. I walked up to him and shaked his shoulder. I spoke silently, "Hey, wake up."

His eyes opened slowly as he said, "What happened?"

"Well combat class is over and it seem like you fell asleep somehow."

He looked surprised at what I said as he dusted himself off. I noticed some sand was coming off of him. 'Is he a contract holder?' I thought to myself. He looked at me and said, "Well thanks for waking me up. Oh where are my manners, I'm Connor Halls."

"Oh uh, My name is Kurokuu Akarui." I greeted. I looked at his locker, which was completely busted. Then I looked at his hands, which looked slightly red. I looked at Connor as I asked, "Hey what happened to your hand there?"

He sighed as he said, "Well, let's just say I had a bad first day."

"I can understand that." I said. We looked at each other awkwardly as I said, "Well I should change so I can meet with my friends. I'll see you next time?"

"Yeah, I'll see you later." Connor said. I walked away from him as I continued to search for my locker. Once I found my locker, I changed into my school uniform and locked up my battle attire. As I was about to leave, I went back to Connor's locker. I looked around for any other clues until I found a small mound sand around the locker. I sighed as I thought to myself, 'Guess we have ourselves as contract holder.'

 **'You got that right.'** Momotaros said in my head.

"Wait Momotaros, you knew?"

 **'I noticed he had a scent of an imagin on him. As well as he had sand all over him. Kind of a red flag there.'**

"Well we gotta find his imagin and stop the contract before he could flee to the past."

 **'Alright, I keep an eye out. And make sure I get to fight the imagin. I want in on the action.'**

"Alright, Alright I'll call you out in battle later."

 **'Cool, I'll see you later. I gotta turn a certain turtle in minced meat right now.'** Momotaros said angrily. I sighed as I knew what was gonna happen. I straighten my tie and left the locker rooms. Can the first day of school get any worse?

* * *

When I entered the cafeteria, the place is bustling with students trying to get food. I ignored the people and grabbed my tray and took the food I wanted. I looked around for Team RWBY and JNPR until I heard a familiar voice shouting, "KUROKUU OVER HERE!"

I look over to see Ruby jumping up and down, Weiss trying to stop her, Yang waving, Blake reading, Ren trying to calm down Nora, Jaune eating his pancakes sloppily, and Pyrrha waving kindly. I smiled and made my way to the table. I set my tray down and said, "Hey everyone, did I miss anything?"

"No, we were just eating." Pyrrha said.

Ruby had an excited look on her face as she looked at me and said, "Kurokuu you were awesome in the fight against Russell."

'Wait, what? What fight?' I thought to myself. I looked at Ruby and asked, "Fight? What fight?"

They all looked confusingly at me, except Blake, as Ren said, "You don't remember? You fought Russell and you beaten him in a matter of seconds."

"Yeah and you were awesome. You dodge all the slashes then you kicked him around like—Hoowahhhh! Wiiiiiitcha!" Ruby said as she posing karate.

Yang came in a leaned on my shoulder and said, "Yeah Kurokuu, you were awesome! I gotta give you props on hand to hand. I think you can be a nice challenge." I gulped as she had a menacing grin on her face. She laughed loudly as she said, "Kurokuu, I'm just joking! But that reaction you had, that was priceless!" Everyone started to laugh at my reaction while I sighed in embarrassment. Yang sat back down and went back to her business with Ruby and Blake. I started to block everything out as I was thinking about Connor. 'Why would Connor want to make a contract with an imagin for? When will the imagin strike?'

I growled in frustration until I heard multiple footsteps coming towards our table. We all looked up to see Team CRDL, looking at me with anger. I chuckled nervously as I asked, "Hey fellas, why are you here for?" Cardin walked up to me and grabbed my collar. Team RWBY and JNPR was about to intervene until I signaled them to stop. I calmed myself down and asked, "What do you want?"

"Well, I don't like you making us look like complete fools. So we want some payback." Cardin said. I chuckled at what he said as he asked, "What's so funny?"

"It's funny how you're blaming me for your teammates lack of skills."

The students started to gather around us as they noticed Cardin's actions. Cardin growls as he said, "You think you're funny, huh? Well let's so how long you can play the tough guy act." He raised his fist and punched me in the face.

The students started recording as they all started to chant, "FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!" Cardin was about to punch me again until I headbutted him in the nose. Cardin let me go, allowing me to get in my fighting stance. Weiss was trying to stop me from fighting, only for Cardin's teammates to stop her from interfering. Ruby, Blake, Yang, and Team JNPR looked at Cardin's teammates threateningly as Yang cracked her knuckles and punched Russell straight in the nose, knocking him out cold. The rest of Cardin's teammates looked at Yang with fear before running off.

Team RWBY and JNPR looked at me as Weiss said, "Kurokuu, get out of there!"

I tried to escape until Cardin grabbed my collar and pulled me back. He looked at me and said, "Where do you think you're going?" Cardin punched me in the face, causing me vision to become disorienting. I recovered as I saw Cardin going in for the next punch. I blocked the attack and punched Cardin in the eye. He growled in pain as I charged and speared him to the ground. I had the advantage over him as I punched Cardin over and over again. Then Cardin caught my fist and punched me off of him. I tried to pick myself back up, but Cardin kicked me in the stomach. Now the roles were reversed as he had the advantage over me. Cardin raised his fist and punched me in the face. I attempted to get him off, but his weight kept me in place. Cardin kept on brutality punching me over and over again. 'Come on, can't let this guy beat me like this.'

Then Momotaros came in as he said **, 'Oi Kurokuu! Just switch me in, I can handle him!'**

"Momotaros, I gotta do this. Not you."

Momotaros growled as he said **, 'Come on you idiot! You're about to get a one way ticket to the hospital! JUST LET ME IN!'**

"I SAID I GOT THIS!" I shouted to Momotaros. I blocked Cardin's punch and punched him in the face, knocking him off of me. He reeled in pain as I got up and kneed him in the stomach. The crowd cheered at what I did as I grabbed Cardin. I raised my fist as I charged my fist with aura and punched him straight in the face. Blood and a tooth came out of his mouth as Cardin fell to the ground unconscious. The crowd went silent as they were all in shock. Team RWBY and JNPR pushed through the crowd and saw me, still standing, and the unconscious Cardin. Then the students suddenly cheered at my victory over Cardin. "WHAT IS GOING ON!"

I turned to the source of the voice to see Professor Goodwitch, with an angry look on her face. She pushed through the crowd as looked at me and asked, "Mr. Akarui. Can you please explain what this is!"

I was about to say something until Weiss came in and said, "Professor Goodwitch, allow me to explain. Cardin Winchester came to our table and attacked Kurokuu. We tried to stop the fight but Cardin's teammates got in the way. And by the time we got in, Kurokuu already handled the fight."

Professor Goodwitch looked at Team RWBY and JNPR as she asked, "Is this true?" They all nodded as Professor Goodwitch said, "Well, I'll have to consult with Professor Ozpin about this. Mr. Akarui, if you would come with me to the office."

"Wait what are you doing?! He did nothing wrong!" Yang shouted angrily.

"Calm down Ms. Xiao Long. This event is something that I cannot let slide. So I will bring him to Ozpin and see what happens to him." Professor Goodwitch said. Yang took a deep breath as she unclenched her fist. Professor Goodwitch adjusts her glasses as she said, "Well Mr. Akarui, if you would come with me." I complied as Professor Goodwitch used her semblance and picked up Cardin off the ground.

I looked back at Team RWBY and JNPR who all had a worried look on their face. I smiled as I said, "Don't worry about me. I kinda have a knack for getting in trouble. I'll be fine."

Team RWBY and JNPR looked at me with smiles on their faces. I looked at Weiss as she said, "Try not to miss class okay?"

"Alright, I'll try."

Professor Goodwitch cleared her throat as she said, "Mr. Akarui, I don't want to be kept waiting." I nodded as I followed Professor Goodwitch.

* * *

After we dropped Cardin off at the infirmary, we are making our way to Beacon Tower to get to Professor Ozpin's office. Professor Goodwitch and I arrived at an elevator that leads to what I assume to be his office. The elevator opens as we both entered inside. Once we arrived to the top, the door opened to reveal Professor Ozpin and Mai talking to each other. They both looked at me as Mai gasped and said, "Kurokuu! What happened to you?!"

"Yes, that is a question that I would like to know as well." Professor Ozpin said while sipping his cup of coffee.

Professor Goodwitch adjusts her glasses as she said, "There was an altercation between Mr. Akarui and Mr. Winchester. It led to the point that Mr. Winchester was sent to the infirmary."

"I see." Professor Ozpin looks at me as he said,

"I understand that the situation was out of your control and you had to defend yourself. But a situation like this is something that I cannot let pass. Do you understand?" I nodded in understanding as he said, "Good, you and Cardin's punishment is three weeks of detention with Professor Goodwitch. Detention starts once all of your classes are over. From there, Professor Goodwitch will determine what you do in detention. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir." I said softly.

"Good, Kurokuu you may leave now. Mai, if you would like to escort him out?" Professor Ozpin said. Mai nodded as we both made our way to the elevator.

As the elevator moves down, Mai looks at me and said, "Kurokuu, it's only been one day and you are already dragged into a fight."

"Hey, I always seem to get myself in some kind of trouble."

Mai chuckled as she asked, "Well, is there any imagin activity yet?"

The elevator door opens, allowing us to exit. I sighed as I said, "An imagin already seem to made a contract with Connor."

Her eyes widen as she said, "Wait Connor Halls? Why would he make a contract with an imagin?"

"I don't know, that's what I'm trying to find out." I replied. I started to scratch my head stressfully as I said, "Where is that imagin? I have to stop it before it does any damage."

"We know that but we don't know where it is or what it's trying to do!"

I took a deep breath as I said, "Well wherever it is, me and Momotaros will handle it once it attacks." Mai sighs as she nods in agreement. I look at the time on my scroll as it said 3:19 P.M. I look at Mai and said, "Looks like sixth period is already in session. We gotta go!" Mai agreed as we both sprinted at top speed to get to our last class for the day, Grimm Studies.

* * *

As we arrived our last class of the day, we entered to the classroom and saw Weiss fighting a boartusk. The students, including Team R(W)BY and JNPR, shifted their attention away from the fight and at me and Mai. Weiss lets her guard down when she saw me, giving the boartusk a chance to attack Weiss. The boartusk charged into Weiss, sending her flying on the other side. I gasped as I shouted, "Weiss!" I ran into the classroom as I saw the boartusk, ready to help Weiss until it saw me. He felt the anger radiating off of me as it changed targets and chose me instead. It grinded it's hooves against the floor as I got in my battle stance.

I was ready to attack until I felt Momotaros enter my body. Momotaros cracked his knuckles as he said **, "Alright! Time for me to wrestle this pig!"** Everyone looked at me surprisingly because of the change in my appearance. The boartusk charged at Momotaros, who stood still. 'Momotaros, do something before it attacks!'

Momotaros groaned as he said to me **, "I got this kiddo."** And with that, he grabbed the boartusk by the horn, stopping him dead in his tracks. Team R(W)BY and JNPR were shocked at Momotaros' display of strength as he lifts the boartusk in the air and slammed it into the floor.

"Bold approach! Very interesting!" Momotaros looked over to the teacher. He has a pale complexion, gray hair and mustache, and looks overweight. Momotaro shifted his attention back to the boartusk, only for it to escape from his grasp. The boartusk spun around and kicked him in the stomach, pushing him to the ground. Momotaros groaned in pain as the boartusk charged at him. Momotaros couldn't do anything other than brace for impact. But as he waited for the attack, an arrow pierced the boartusk at the unprotected part of it's neck. The boartusk dropped dead and slowly started to disintegrate. Momotaros looked at the source of the arrow as he saw Mai, with her bow out and ready.

She lowers her bow as she walks over to Momotaros. She growls as she punches Momotaros in the head and said, "That's for almost getting Kurokuu killed, you stupid peach!"

Momotaros yelled in pain as he rubbed the place where Mai punched him as he said **, "Hey, he would've been worse if I didn't help him!"**

Mai clenched her fist and said, "Just get out of here!" Momotaros sighed as he left my body.

I looked at my surroundings as I saw all the students staring at me with a shocked expression. I ignored them as I turned to Weiss, still on the floor recovering from the attack. I rushed to her as I said, "Weiss, are you alright?!" I tried to help her up but she refused my help as she got up on her own.

The big professor clapped as he said, "Bravo! Bra-vo! It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true Huntsman-in-training! Young man, may I ask for your name?"

"Uh...Kurokuu Akarui."

He strokes his mustache as he grabbed the name list on his table. He looked at the list until he said, "Aha! Kurokuu Akarui, the fifth member of Team RWBY. You have displayed the true traits of a true huntsman. Great work young man. I am your Grimm Studies teacher, Professor Port. I hope we can get along." I nodded silent until the classroom started to clap for me except for one person. I stared at the person until I realized it was Connor, who is glaring at Weiss. For some reason, his eyes looked completely different. His sclarea is black instead of white and his iris is yellow instead of green. 'Is he…?' I thought to myself as I shifted my attention to Weiss. Weiss had a furious expression on her face as she glares at Ruby. The bell rang as the teacher, now named Professor Port, said, "I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings, and... stay vigilant! Class dismissed!" I was about to talk to Weiss until she stormed out the room quickly.

Team R(W)BY and JNPR grouped up with me as Jaune said, "Sheesh, what's with her?"

"I don't know, I'll talk to her." Ruby said.

I was worried for Weiss as well so I said to Ruby, "I'm coming with you." Ruby nodded as we both left the classroom to find Weiss. We turned around the corner as we saw Weiss storming off. "Weiss!" I shouted to her.

Weiss turns around and said, "What!"

"Why did you storm off like that?"

Weiss clenches her fist as she said, "Why? WHY?! Ruby was supposed to be a leader, and all she's been so far is a big nuisance!"

Ruby looked hurt at what she said, "What did I do?"

"That's just it - you've done nothing to earn your position! Back in the forest, you acted like a child, and you've only continued to do so!"

Ruby started to look more and more hurt by her words, "Weiss, where is this coming from? What happened to all the talk about 'working together'? I thought you believed in acting as a team."

Weiss took a deep breath as she said, "Not a team led by you. I've studied and trained. And quite frankly, I deserve better." Weiss then turns away from us, not wanting to make eye contact with Ruby. Ruby was about to reach her hand out until Weiss said, "Ozpin made a mistake." And with that, she walked away leaving me and Ruby behind.

"Hmm...Now that didn't seem to go well." A voice said behind us. We both turned around to see Professor Ozpin with a cup of coffee in hand.

Ruby was on the verge of tears as she asked Professor Ozpin, "Is she right? Did you make a mistake?"

It hurts to see the happy and cheery Ruby to look so downhearted. I grabbed her shoulder and said, "No, Professor Ozpin didn't make a mistake. You're a great leader." Ruby looks at me with some doubt in her eyes. "Look, I'll go talk to Weiss to straighten things out. Be safe." Ruby nods as I left Ruby and Professor Ozpin to find Weiss.

* * *

I ran through the endless hallways until I saw another hallway on my right that leads to the Balcony. I turned right and stopped as I saw Weiss, sitting on a bench as she stares at the sun. I walked slowly as I called out, "Weiss?"

Weiss turns around as she has a stressed look on her face. "Hey Kurokuu."

"Are you alright?"

Weiss sighed stressfully as she said, "No, I'm sorry that I yelled at you earlier."

"I think you should be saying that to Ruby."

She looks at me with confusion and said, "Why? I had a reason to be mad at her. She's not fit to be a leader! It should have been me!"

"No, I think Ozpin made the right call."

Weiss looked shocked at what I said, "Why?! Why is Ruby leader and not me?! I have trained for years!"

I scratched my head, "From what I'm seeing, you may have great skills but you have an attitude problem."

Weiss looked more surprised at what I said as she said, "Kurokuu, how dare you-!"

"See? This proves my point. Weiss, I understand that you been through a lot. But I can't help but think that you still had everything handed to you on a silver platter, like your father's company."

"That's not remotely true!" Weiss said. She doesn't make eye contact with me as she starts to think about what I said. "That's not entirely true…"

I took a deep breath and sat down next to her as I said, "Weiss, I know it sucks that you didn't get what you want. But do you think that making Ruby feel bad is gonna change anything?" Weiss had a guilty look on her face as she continues listening to what I have to say, "So instead of being upset about the things you don't have, cherish the things you do have. Instead of being the best leader, be the best friend and partner for Ruby. Help her become the best leader she can be."

Weiss thought about what I said until her face changed from guilt to joy. She leaned her head against my shoulder as she said, "Kurokuu… Thanks."

I laughed quietly, "Like I said before, that's what friends are for right?"

Weiss smiles as she said, "Right, friends."

We sat silently as we watched the sunset. I heard footsteps coming from behind. I turned around and saw Ruby watching us. I smiled and said, "Hey Ruby."

Ruby walked towards us and said, "Hey Kurokuu, Weiss."

Weiss sighed as she looked at Ruby and said, "Ruby, I'm not the best with apologies, but I just want to say that I'm sorry about what I said. I promise from now on that I will be the best partner you'll ever have."

Ruby was speechless at what Weiss said as she started to tear up, "Do...Do you really mean it?"

"Yes, I mean it Ruby."

Ruby wiped her tears away as she had a bright smile on her face. She wrapped her arms around Weiss as she said, "ALRIGHT! TEAM RWBY IS NOW TOGETHER!"

Weiss tried to escape her grasp, "Ruby, get your arms off of me!" Ruby ignored her as she kept jumping up and down with Weiss still in her grasp. I smiled until I saw Connor walking down the halls with sand pouring off of him. I pulled Ruby and Weiss behind me as I waited for his next move. Weiss noticed the worried expression on my face as she asked, "Kurokuu, what's wrong?"

I didn't say anything as I saw Connor turning his head in our direction. He walked slowly to us as more sand fell out of his clothes. Weiss realized what is going as she said, "He...He has a monster in him!"

Ruby looked at me and Weiss confusingly as she asked, "What do you mean by monster?"

As Connor got closer, he muttered, "Put that Schnee in her place...Teach her a lesson!" Then more sand came off of him as the sand on the ground formed a crow looking imagin.

Connor fell on the floor unconscious as the crow imagin pointed his cane at us **, "Move out of the way, I have a contract to finish. And it involves her."** I looked at where he was pointing as I realized he was referring to Weiss. Weiss felt chills run up her spine as she was once again another target. " **Now, move out of the way."**

Ruby cover Weiss as she said, "You're not going anywhere with her." The crow imagin didn't say anything as he simply used his cane and shot a ball of fire in our direction.

I gasped as I ran up to protect Ruby and Weiss from the blast. The fireball exploded as it made contact with my body and pushed me off the balcony. As I fell, that last thing I heard was Weiss calling out, "KUROKUU!"

* * *

 _Weiss looked helplessly as she saw Kurokuu hit the ground. Weiss stood in fear as she turned around and looked at the crow imagin. The crow imagin was ready to attack until Ruby used her semblance and charged at him at top speed. Ruby kicked the imagin in the face, knocking him back. Ruby saw this opportunity as she grabbed Weiss' hand. Weiss wondered what Ruby was doing as she forced Weiss to jump of the balcony with her. As they were falling, Weiss shouted, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Ruby didn't say anything as she used her semblance and spun around, creating a small tornado that is filled with rose petals. The air around them help lessen the fall as they both landed on the ground, unharmed. Ruby and Weiss got up as they looked back up to see the crow imagin taking off with Connor's body over his shoulder._

 _Ruby gulped as she grabbed Weiss' hand again, "HOLD ON!" She kicked her semblance into overdrive as she ran as fast as she could away from the imagin, while dragging Weiss behind her._

* * *

 _Meanwhile, Yang and Blake were wondering around the entrance of Beacon Academy as they were trying to find Ruby, Weiss, and Kurokuu. "Ruby! Weiss! Kurokuu! Where are you?!"_

" _Yang, I don't think they're out here."_

" _Well where else are they gonna be? It's not like they'll come running into us anytime soon." The moment Yang said that, Ruby and Weiss ran into Yang and Blake, crashing into them. They all got up as Yang shouted, "Ruby, Weiss! Are you guys okay?!"_

 _Ruby dusted herself off and said, "Yeah I'm fine, but we gotta get our weapons now!"_

" _Why?" Blake asked. Her question was answered as the crow imagin flew above them. "Imagin!"_

" _Ima-what now?" Yang asked confusingly. The crow imagin swoop down and punched Yang in the face, pushing her back._

" _YANG!" Blake shouted. The crow imagin landed and dropped Connor's body on the ground. He pulls out his cane and walks slowly towards them._

 _Yang got back up as her hair started to emit flames. She cracked her knuckles and said, "I don't know what you are. But don't MESS WITH ME!" She bumped her fist together as flames burst out of her. She dashed towards the imagin and punched him in the face. The crow imagin flew back and crashed into the ground. He picked himself back up and ran straight at Yang. The crow imagin swung his cane around as Yang kept on dodging the attack. Then Yang went on the offensive and did a series of punches, but the crow imagin dodged every single attack._

 _As the crow imagin dodged every punch, he noticed that his attacker was starting to get tired from using her semblance. He took this advantage and dodged to the left, he took his cane and swung at Yang with all his force. The flames on her hair begin to die out as Yang fell on the floor, groaning in pain. The imagin looked at the remaining three and said_ _ **, "I'll ask one more time, hand me the Schnee so I can finish my job."**_

" _You're not going anywhere with her." Blake said._

" _Whatever you are, you're not hurting Weiss!" Ruby shouted as she charged at the crow imagin at top speed._

* * *

I slowly opened my eyes as I noticed that I wasn't on the balcony earlier. I groaned in pain as I tried to stand back up. 'Thank Oum for my aura.' I thought to myself. Then I remembered the imagin that attacked us. 'Crap where's Weiss and Ruby?' I looked up to check if they're still on the balcony. I saw no one up there as I started to panic. 'Did the crow imagin get them? Where is he?'

Then Momotaros appeared in his sand form as he said **, "Oi, the crow guy is at the entrance of Beacon. He's fighting your friends."**

"Alright, we gotta get to them before the imagin finishes the contract." I said as I ran to the entrance at top speed. I ran to the entrance as I saw Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang fighting it without access to their weapons. Ruby spun around the crow imagin, trying to confuse him. But the crow imagin was able to grab Ruby's cloak and throw her into the ground. "RUBY!" I shouted as I ran in and jump kicked the imagin.

The imagin fell down as he said **, "I don't have time to play with you kids. I have a job to finish."** Then Weiss tried to roundhouse kick the imagin, only for him to catch it in midair. He grinned as he lifted her up in the air and into the ground. Weiss shouted in pain as the imagin picked her up and smashed her into the ground again.

I clenched my fist as I shouted, "Leave...Her...ALONE!" I dashed towards the imagin and punched him straight in the face. He roared in pain as he lets go of Weiss. I ran up to Weiss, who had a few bruises and some blood coming out of her mouth. "Weiss, Weiss! Are you alright? Say something!"

She coughed a little as she said, "I'm fine...It's gonna take more than some monster to take the Heiress down."

I laughed at what she said as I heard the crow imagin said **, "Contract complete."** Then he jumped inside of Connor as he woke up in pain.

I rushed quickly to Connor as I pulled out the ticket and placed it near his head. The ticket revealed the crow imagin as the date displayed 10/17/2012. I shook him awake as I asked, "Connor, does this date mean anything to you?"

Connor looked at it as he replied, "That was the day that Jacque Schnee bought out my father's company. We used to be one of the biggest companies in the Dust Manufacturing Business. We had everything, a nice home, a happy family, a future. Then the Schnee Dust Company decided to buy out our company, trying to get rid of any competition. And at that moment, everything crumbled. We lost our home, my mother left my father, and my father was swirling in debt to try to keep us alive. But even with that happening, my father still helped me achieve my dream to become a huntsman. He trained me how to fight and taught me everything he knew. I thought we would be fine and that one day, everything would return back to the way they were. But how wrong I was. My father made some deals with the wrong people and he wasn't able to pay them in time. One day, I found my father, killed by the hands of those people."

I looked at him with remorse as he continued, "The police were able to catch them and locked them up. But even if they were stopped, they were able to take the last person in my life away from me. I wondered why everything went so wrong until I remembered who started all of this. That damn monster named Jacque Schnee. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have lost my home or my family because of him!"

I growled as I grabbed his shirt and said, "WELL YOU DIDN'T LOSE YOUR DREAMS DID YOU?!" Connor had fear in his eyes as he made no attempt to attack me. Blake laid her hand on my shoulder to calm me down. I sighed and pushed him back on the floor, "You may have lost everything, but you still have your dream. Your father work hard just to get you in here, to Beacon Academy. If you waste this opportunity all for some worthless revenge, then what the hell did your father do this for?!" He made no eye contact as he pulled out the picture of him and his father together. "Do you think your father would've want this? To waste your life on some revenge?" Connor looked at the picture once more as tear drops fell on the photo. He slowly let out his tears as I said, "You should've been thankful with what you had." I pulled out the pass and slot the ticket in the pass. Then the belt appeared around my waist as I connected the belt together. Ruby, Yang, and Weiss looked at me confusingly as I said, "I'll answer your questions later." I pressed the red button as it played its tune. I lifted the pass and said, "Henshin." I swiped the pass across the belt as it called out.

 **SWORD FORM**

The armor materializes and the armor pieces combined together. Momotaros entered my body as he said **, "Ore sanjou!"**

Ruby, Yang, and Weiss looked at Momotaros in shock at what happened as Ruby said, "OOOOH! THAT'S LOOKS SO AWESOME! WHAT IS THIS? HOW IS THIS BELT ABLE TO CREATE AN ARMOR? TELL ME!"

Momotaros looked at her and tried to shoo her away, "Oi! Stop touching little red!" Ruby didn't listen as she kept on touching and analyzing the armor until Yang pulled her away and held her down. Momotaros cleared his throat and said to Blake **, "Oi, make sure to call Old Ozzy. He'll know what to do."**

Then a portal opened in the sky as the Den-Liner came out of it. Ruby, Yang, and Weiss looked even more shocked as they saw the train passing in the sky. Yang shouted, "HOW IS THERE A TRAIN HERE?!" Momotaros laughed at their reactions as he jumps into the Den-Liner. He enters the engine room and places the pass in the slot. The Den-Liner displayed the date as a portal opens allowing us to go back in time.

* * *

 _October 17, 2012_

 _In the Halls Industry, a young Connor Halls is walking through the hall before he heard his father's shouting coming from the conference room. Curious about why his father is yelling, he leaned his ears against the door as he heard his father say, "YOU CAN'T JUST BUY OUT MY COMPANY, JACQUE!"_

" _On the contrary I can. The data shows you been having financial issues in your company. And I also got an approval from Atlas Government to allow me to buy this company out." Jacque Schnee said._

 _Connor heard his father said, "You're full of shit Jacque!"_

" _I am very serious about this. Face it Carter, you lost." Hearing those words, Connor fell on the ground in fear._

 _Then two security guards walked around and saw Connor crying. The one in maroon hair asked, "Hey kiddo you alright?"_

" _Of course not Simmons! He's crying." The security guard with orange hair said._

" _Shut the fuck up Grif, I don't see you trying to comfort the kid." Then sand came off of Connor as the sand formed the crow imagin. The two security guards looked at the monster in fear, "AHHH! GRIF SHOOT IT!" They both open fired as the imagin dodged all the bullets and threw them into a wall. The maroon haired security guard groaned in pain as he said, "Great job, Grif."_

 _The crow imagin laughed as he jumped out the window, ready to cause mayhem. Connor was crying until he looked up to see a man in a brown cloak helped the kid up, "Get out of her kid while you still can." Connor complied as he ran to safety. The man in the brown cloak pulled out his stopwatch until he heard the Den-Liner arriving. Knowing what will happen next, he made his escape before the Den-O would see him._

* * *

Momotaros jumped off the Den-Liner as he found the crow imagin causing a ruckus in the streets. Momotaros assembled his weapon as he fell down to the ground and catching the imagin by surprise. He slashed the crow imagin down the middle as sparks came off of him. The crow imagin looked at Momotaros and said **, "So you're the Den-O? Oh how fun this will be."** The crow imagin flew straight at Momotaros and slashed him in the chest. Momotaros got up only for the crow imagin strike again. Momotaros growled in anger and got up again. As the crow imagin was ready to attack again, Momotaros ducked and grabbed his leg in mid-flight and pulled him into the ground. Momotaros was ready to attack him, but the crow imagin blocked his attack with his cane. The crow imagin sweep kicked Momotaros, causing him to fall down.

Momotaros growled until he saw Urataros in his translucent form. " **What do you want pervert turtle?!"**

' **Well I think you are having some performance issues, let me take over.'**

Momotaros shook his sword around as he said **, "LIKE HELL YOU WOULD!"**

' **Too late!'** Urataros said as he jumped inside me, knocking Momotaros out. The belt changed colors from red to blue as the belt called out.

 **ROD FORM**

The armor piece changed position as it formed into Rod Form. Urataros assembled his weapon as he said **, "How about a new challenge?"** Urataros dashed at the imagin with his rod and stabs him in the chest. The crow imagin flew back and tried to fly into Urataros, only for him to dodge out of the way and used his rod to pull him down mid-flight. The crow imagin fell to the ground as Urataros swung his rod around, causing more sparks to fly off of him. Then Urataros did several quick thrusts at the imagin before kicking him. Urataros pulled out the pass and said **, "Now to end this."** He places his the pass in front of belt as the belt called out.

 **FULL CHARGE**

Lasers came out of the belt as it entered the rod. Urataros aims and throws the rod at the crow imagin. The crow imagin cried in pain as a hexagon formed in front of him. Urataros runs at him, jumps straight in the air, and dive kick into the imagin. The crow imagin let out one more cry of pain before he exploded. Urataro lands back on the ground and lets out a sigh of relief. Momotaros appears in his sand form as he shouted **, "HEY, THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MY CLIMAX!"**

" **Sorry senpai, I just couldn't bear seeing you fail in fighting."**

Momotaros growled as he said **, "YOU WANNA GO? LET'S GO RIGHT NOW!"**

'Guys enough! Let's just go back to the future and check up on everyone.'

Momotaros complied as he said **, "Alright, I'll see you later."** Momotaros quickly disappears as Urataros disconnected the belt. The armor dematerialized, leaving me standing all alone in the streets. I sighed as I knew I'm gonna have a long chat with everyone.

* * *

I returned back to the future as it was currently night time at Beacon. I saw Professor Goodwitch, Mai, and Professor Ozpin tending to Team RWBY and Connor. I looked at them before Mai saw me and asked, "So is the imagin handled?"

"Yep, I stopped the imagin."

Mai smiles as she whispered, "I heard from Team RWBY that you transformed in front of them. Why would you do that?"

"They already know too much and I might as well tell them now since they saw the imagin." I replied.

"I see. We'll all explain this to them."

"We?"

"You, me, Professor Ozpin, and Professor Goodwitch."

I made a sound of realization before I said, "Okay, let's do this." I walked up to them and said, "Hey guys, I'm back."

Ruby looked at me cheerfully as she said, "OOH! OOH! YOU'RE BACK NOW CAN YOU TELL ME EVERYTHING ABOUT THAT BELT?!"

I laughed at her excitement as I said, "Later, for now I think we all need to talk about what happened. Coffee anyone?" Team RWBY looked confused at what I said until the portal opened in the sky and the Den-Liner coming out. Team RW(B)Y looked shocked as I said, "Well come on in!" They snapped out of their state as Team RWBY, Professor Ozpin, Mai, Professor Goodwitch, and I entered the Den-Liner. Once everyone was on board, the Den-Liner moved on its own and entered the Sands of Time.

As we entered the dining car, Team RWBY had their minds blown as they saw the desert wasteland and the multi-colored sky. We all took our seats as Ruby sat with Weiss, Yang sat with Blake, and I sat next to Mai. And Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch decided to stand instead of sitting on a bench. Naomi gave everyone coffee except Ruby, who got milk. Professor Ozpin adjust his glasses as he said, "I'll assume you have some questions about all of this?"

Ruby shot her hand in their as she asked, "OOOH! I KNOW! WHAT WAS THAT ARMOR THAT KUROKUU WAS WEARING?!"

Professor Ozpin cleared his throat as Ruby, Weiss, and Yang watched him. "The armor that he was wearing called the Den-O armor. It allows him to utilize the imagins he has."

"Like the monster we saw earlier?" Weiss asked.

"Correct Ms. Schnee. He has imagins of his own that aid him."

 **"Yep you're right about that."** Ruby, Weiss, and Yang looked to the source of the voice as they saw Urataros walking in. They were shocked at seeing another imagin as he said **, "Can you stop staring, it's making me feel uncomfortable. Unless you like what you see."** Weiss simply rolled her eyes, Ruby was still in shock, and Yang kept looking at him. Urataros looks at Yang before he said **, "Hello my beautiful sun dragon. It's been awhile since we talked, how about we catch up?"**

Yang recognizes that voice as she said, "Wait you sound like-"

Urataros chuckled as he said **, "Yep, remember me? We went on a date a two days before we arrived at Beacon. I gotta say it's been awhile. Maybe we can catch up?"**

Yang was about to say something until Momotaros ran into the dining room and slaps Urataros in the face. " **STOP BEING A PERVERT YOU STUPID TURTLE!"**

As Momotaros and Urataros were slapping each other, I sighed and said, "Yep, the red imagin is named Momotaros and the blue imagin is named Urataros. I know they seem weird on the outside, but they're nice guys once you get to know them."

Ruby, Weiss, and Yang all nodded until Yang asked, "What about the bad imagins? What do they do?"

"Imagins, creature that survive on the memories of humans and faunus." We all turned to the sound of the voice as we saw The Owner walk in. "Imagins are creatures from the future that lost their physical bodies due to a change in the past. So to gain their body, they must form a contract with someone."

They all absorbed the information as Mai added, "If the contract between the person and imagin is complete, the imagin can use the person's memories to flee in the past and destroy it to change the future."

Ruby looked shocked as she said, "Wait so if Kurokuu didn't stop the monster, it would destroy everything in the past and change the future?"

"Precisely." I said to Ruby. "That's why it's my job to make sure that doesn't happen."

Blake finally joined in the conversation as she asked, "I must ask, what makes Kurokuu so special? Why doesn't someone more experienced do the job?"

Professor Goodwitch cleared her throat and said, "He is someone that we call singular point. He has the ability to resist an imagin's possession. So any imagin that made contact with him, they can't form a contract with him unless if he allow it. This gives him the advantage since he could use his imagins powers. If anyone else did it, they would succumb to the imagin's will."

After a brief silence Professor Ozpin asked, "So have we answered all of your questions?"

Team RWBY all nodded yes while I asked, "What will happen to Connor?"

"I'll have a talk with him and his time here depends on what he says." Professor Ozpin said. "Now shall we return to Beacon? It's past curfew and you all need your rest for tomorrow." We all nodded yes as the Den-Liner slowed down to a complete stop. Team RWBY, Professor Ozpin, Professor Goodwitch, and I got off the Den-Liner.

Mai and The Owner waited at the exit and said, "Well I hope we cleared things up for you."

"Yes, it has cleared many things up." Weiss replied.

The Owner cleared his throat as he said, "Kurokuu, since they know about our job. I'll allow access to the Den-Liner to Team RWBY. They are allowed to get onboard as long as they go with you."

"Thank you sir." I said to The Owner. I looked at Mai and said, "I'll see you tomorrow Mai." I said as the Den-Liner rode off. We walked through the Sand of Time as two doors appeared. One that looked like our dorm room and the other door looked like an elevator.

Professor Ozpin looked at us as he said, "Well today has been an interesting first day. I wonder what tomorrow will bring. Goodnight students."

"Goodnight Professor Ozpin." We all said in unison as we opened the door which reveals to be our dorm. Yang and Ruby flopped on their bed while Blake and Weiss sat on theirs.

As we all settled down from what happened today, Weiss looked at me and asked, "Why? Why did you keep this all a secret from us?"

Yang groaned as she said, "Weiss, can we just talk about it tomorrow?"

"It's fine Yang." I said to Yang. I looked at Weiss and said, "I kept this a secret from everyone was to keep you all safe. If you knew about the imagins, I just...Didn't want to see any one of you guys to get hurt because of me. But because that I didn't tell you, you all got hurt regardless. And I wished I-" My words were interrupted as Weiss hugged me.

"Kurokuu, it's not your fault that we all got hurt. Things just happen and we can't do anything to control it. But feeling guilty about yourself isn't gonna make it better."

I sighed as I said, "Thanks Weiss."

She smiled as she said, "That's what friends are for right?" I smiled at her before looking at everyone else who all smiled at me as well. Weiss stops hugging me as she said, "Now we have a long day tomorrow so we should get so sleep."

"But, I'm not tiiiiiiirrrrrred!" Ruby whined.

"No buts, you need your eight hours of sleep!" Weiss informed.

Yang got off her bed as she said, "Well, I don't know about you but I need a shower, see ya!" She grabbed her towel and dashed into the bathroom. Ruby was running around the room while Weiss was trying to calm her down. Blake laid on her bed and read her book. I sighed as I simply laid down on my bed and closed my eyes.

* * *

 _Meanwhile in Team JNPR's dorm, Jaune woke up because he couldn't sleep. He got out of bed and looked at his sleeping team members before he entered the bathroom. He turned on the lights and washed his face with water. He started at the mirror as he said, "Come on Jaune, you made it through your first day. You can get through this." Jaune kept on washing his face until a yellow orb phased into the room and entered Jaune. Sand came off of him as the sand formed into the imagin's sand form. He has a bear motif and his body has a strong physique. His head has a horn sticking out and his eyes is simply a v-shaped visor. And the only clothing he has is a sleeveless jacket with a furry lining._

 _Jaune fell on the floor as the bear imagin asked_ _ **, "Tell me you wish. I'll grant you wish."**_


	6. Chapter 6: My Strength Has Made You Cry!

(A/N:) Hey everyone, LGCrusader here! And welcome to another chapter of Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time. Hopefully you all enjoyed the last chapter and now we are here for the next form appearance. I'm pretty sure by the title and last chapter, you already know who it is. Anyways hope you all enjoy this series, and I'll do my best to work on the next chapter.

I do not I own the rights to the series RWBY or Kamen Rider. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth Productions and The Kamen Rider Series is owned by Toei Company

"Normal Speech"

'Thoughts/Inner communication between OC and imagin'

 _"Third Person/Flashback"_

 **"Imagin speech"**

* * *

 _It is a quiet morning in the outskirts of Vale. The sun is beating down brightly as a man is training in his backyard. He has long blond hair that is tied up into a ponytail , ocean blue eyes, a stubble around his face, and a scar that went from his top left forehead to his right cheek. He is currently wearing a blue tank top with black athletic shorts as he was punching the training dummy. He punched the training dummy at rapid speed until he performed an uppercut, causing the dummy to fall back. He took a deep breath as he walked to his patio to rest and avoid the heat. He took a drink of water until a woman walked out to check on him. She has long blonde hair that is tied up and braided and ocean blue eyes. She was wearing white spring dress as she walked to the blonde haired man and said, "Honey, any luck on finding Jaune?"_

" _No, I asked all throughout Vale and found nothing."_

 _She looked crestfallen as she said, "I see…"_

 _The man with blonde hair clenches his hand as he stood up and shouted, "WHY?! WHY DIDN'T JAUNE LISTEN TO ME?! WHY COULDN'T HE JUST WAIT?!"_

" _Blanc, Jaune has his dreams. But as parents shouldn't be supporting him?"_

 _The man with blond hair, now named Blanc, stood up and looked at his wife, "He is the only son we have! And for him to run off and do something dangerous like becoming a huntsman?! Soleil, don't you understand how dangerous the huntsman job is? I…" Blanc takes a deep breath as he continued, "I just...Don't want him to go through the things I did." He sat back down as he rubbed his eyes, stressfully._

 _The blonde hair woman, now named Soleil, place her hands on his shoulder. "Honey I understand that you don't want him to be a huntsman. But he's growing up, you can't shield him from the world for the rest of his life." Blanc stayed quiet as she continued, "Well I have to get to work, I'll call if anyone has found Jaune." Blanc nodded as Soleil gave him a kiss on the cheeks and said, "I'll be home by seven. Make sure you pick up Joan, Juliet, and Jane from school. Love you honey, goodbye."_

" _Love you too, Soleil. Bye." Blanc said as Soleil left the house. He sighed as he continued to drink his water. Then a yellow orb floated down to the patio as the orb entered Blanc. He lets go of his bottle as he felt a jolt of pain in his back. The sand came out of his clothes as it formed to what seems to be an imagin with a rhino motif._

 _Blanc fell down as the rhino imagin asked_ _ **, "Tell me you wish, I will grant your wish. But you must repay me one thing."**_ _Blanc thought that he might go insane until the imagin's offer tempted him. Blanc felt desperate right now. He need to find Jaune, wherever he is._

" _I want you to help me find my son, Jaune."_

" _ **Your wish has been heard."**_ _The sand formed as the rhino imagin was able to gain his physical body back. He cried menacingly as he jumped out of the patio and into the streets of Vale. Blanc felt fatigue enter his body as he slowly shuts his eyes and falls asleep._

* * *

 **Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time**

 **Chapter 6: My Strength Has Made You Cry!**

* * *

It's been three weeks since the last imagin incident, I sat quietly at the bleachers as I watched a spar between Ruby and Nora. Nora swung her hammer left and right, but Ruby used her semblance to actively dodge every swing. Then Ruby decides to run around Nora, trying to confuse her. Nora didn't seemed confused as she grins and jumps high in the air with her hammer. Nora then fell straight down, hammer first, creating cracks in the floor. Ruby accidentally tripped over the crack, giving Nora the advantage. She raised her hammer and slammed it down. Ruby reacted quickly and used her speed to escape the attack. Then Ruby changed her magazine from normal dust to gravity dust. She switched her weapon to her scythe mode and fired off her gravity round.

Nora tried to hit her like she was a baseball but Ruby aimed at the ground and launches herself higher, away from the hammer. She shot another round which propels her to the ground behind Nora. Then Ruby swings her weapon while firing the bullets to add more force to her attacks. Nora couldn't escape it in time as she was attacked relentlessly by Ruby, dropping her aura down to red.

Mai blew the whistle, signaling the end of the match. Professor Goodwitch walked up to the both of them and said, "Both of you did a good job, but you had some major flaws. Miss Valkyrie, you need to utilize your weapon more. If you can't reach your opponent, switch your weapon to grenade launcher mode is better alternative than using your hammer."

"But… I can't break legs without my hammer!"

Professor Goodwitch ignored her statement as she turned to Ruby and said, "Miss Rose, although you mastered your weapon quite well. You rely on your semblance too often, causing your opponent to find a way to get around your speed like what Miss Valkyrie did." Ruby didn't say anything and simply made a pouting expression. Professor Goodwitch cleared her throat and asked, "Now for the last match of the day, can I get Mr. Arc and Mr. Winchester?"

I turn to Jaune as he simply grabbed his shield and sword and made his way down. They both stood in front of each other as Professor Goodwitch states, "Now you know the rules. Both combatants must fight until their aura reaches zero. They may use any means necessary to win the match. Are we clear?" They both nodded their heads as she said, "Good. Begin!"

Cardin made the first move as he swung his mace down, but Jaune quickly maneuvered away from the attack. But Cardin quickly followed the attack up with backhand strike, hitting Jaune in the stomach. I reeled at the pain that Jaune felt as I stood up and shouted, "COME ON JAUNE, YOU GOT THIS!" Jaune stood back up as Cardin smirked and went in for the next attack. Cardin was going for a downward strike, but Jaune angled his shield so the mace would slide off in a different direction. Jaune maneuvered to the right and sliced Cardin's waist. Jaune was ready to go for Cardin's exposed back, but Cardin recovered in time for him to block the attack with his mace. Cardin and Jaune were stuck in a stalemate Jaune's sword grinded on Cardin's mace. Cardin smirked as he simply kicked Jaune in the chest, causing him to fall back and drop his sword. Jaune crawled along the floor as he tried pick up his sword, only for Cardin to kick it away from him.

Cardin stood triumphantly over Jaune as he said, "This is the part where you lose."

I closed my eyes as I couldn't bear to see another second of it until I heard Jaune say, "Not...Yet." I opened my eyes as I saw Jaune grabbed both of Cardin's legs and caused him to fall on his back and drop his weapon. Jaune got up quickly and straddled on top of Cardin as he punched Cardin in the face over and over again.

Jaune was ready to finish the fight until Mai blew the whistle to stop the fight. We looked at both of their aura which showed that they both tied evenly. Professor Goodwitch walked up to both of them and said, "Well done you too, but both of you have major flaws. Mr. Winchester, your arrogance gave your opponent an advantage, causing Mr. Arc to turn the tides." Cardin growled angrily at Jaune as he walked over and picked up his weapon. She turned to Jaune and said, "And for you Mr. Arc, although strength has silently improved over the past three weeks. Your swordplay is all over the place." Jaune scratched his head nervously as she said, "Anyways, you two are excused." They both compiled as Cardin went back to his team while Jaune grabbed his sword and shield.

Professor Goodwitch faced us and said, "Remember, everyone, the Vytal Festival is only a few months away! It won't be long before students from the other kingdoms start arriving in Vale, so keep practicing! Those who choose to compete in the combat tournament will be representing all of Vale!" The bell rings as all the students left except Pyrrha.

As Team RWBY, Nora, Ren, and I were about to leave, Nora turned around and shouted, "Hey Pyrrha, are you coming with us or not?"

"I'll meet you in a bit. I'm gonna help Jaune with something." She replied back.

We all walked out of the amphitheater as we saw Mai talking with Professor Goodwitch. Professor Goodwitch handed her a stack of files before leaving Mai by her lonesome. We walked towards Mai and I said, "Hey Mai, what's with the files?"

"Oh this? She just wants me to be sure if all the files are not forged because she kept on saying that one of them is forged. I think she's just stressing out for no reason."

We all nodded in agreement until we just stared at each other silently. "So Mai...Wanna eat lunch with us awesome people!" Ruby said as she grabbed me and Weiss.

"Sure, I rather not spend my lunch with old people. Especially Professor Jiro, he always makes a mess in the break room." Mai replied.

"Alright, to the cafeteria!" Ruby said as she used her semblance to run across the halls.

Weiss groans as she started run through the halls and shouted, "SLOW DOWN YOU DOLT!" I laughed as the rest of us continued to walk to the cafeteria.

* * *

 _On the Den-Liner, the dining car is only inhabited by Momotaros, Urataros, Naomi, and The Owner. Everyone is doing their own thing to pass the time. Naomi is happily making pudding, Momotaros is relaxing on his bench, Urataros is playing with a fishing rod a passenger left behind, and The Owner was eating his usual rice. Naomi walked up to Momotaros and set down a plate of pudding. Momotaros looked at the pudding with saliva coming out of his mouth._ " _ **The pudding looks so good right now."**_

 _Urataros sighs as he said_ _ **, "Senpai, can you stop drooling. At this rate, your drool could flood the Den-LIner."**_

" _ **Shut it, perverted turtle. At least I'm not a thief."**_

" _ **Funny coming for the guy who beat people up and steal their wallets."**_

 _Momotaros clenched his hand as he stood up and said_ _ **, "That was several weeks ago, I don't do that anymore!"**_ _Momotaros groans as he sat back down and ate his pudding._

 _As Momotaros is eating his pudding, The Owner looked at a calendar on his scroll and said to himself, "The time is coming very soon. What will you do Ozpin?"_

 _Momotaros was in the middle of eating his pudding until he smelled something. He sniffed around as he said_ _ **, "I smell another imagin nearby."**_

 _Urataros sighs and said_ _ **, "Are you sure you're not just smelling me?"**_

" _ **No, this one is different. It's at Beacon! Time for me to bust out of this cage!"**_ _Then Momotaros became translucent and disappeared._

" _ **Oh this will not go well for senpai."**_ _Urataros said as he continued to fiddle around with the fishing rod._

* * *

"So! There we were, in the middle of the night..." Nora narrated.

"It was day." Ren corrected.

"We were surrounded by Ursas..."

"They were Beowolves."

"Dozens of them!" Nora said. We were all listening to this story, except Weiss, who is filing her nails, and Jaune, who is sleeping.

"Two of 'em." Ren corrected again.

"But they were no match... And in the end, Ren and I took them down and made a boatload of Lien selling Ursa skin rugs!"

Ren sighed as he said, "She's been having this recurring dream for nearly a month now."

"I rather have those dreams than nightmares. I mean, my nightmares are crazy." I said to Ren. I turned to the sleeping Jaune and asked, "Hey Ren, what happened to Jaune. He's been sleepy lately. Like me levels of sleepiness."

"I don't know. We don't see Jaune often since he always says that he is 'going for a walk.' But when he comes back, he looks tired and has sweat all over him."

"Strange, I wonder what he's-" I couldn't finish my sentence as I felt a jolt of pain in my body.

"Kurokuu, are you okay?" Mai asked. I couldn't answer her as I felt Momotaros enter my body.

My appearance changed once again as Momotaros cracked his hands. Team RWBY realized what is happening to me as Mai said, "Momotaros, what are you doing?! You're not supposed to be out here!"

" **I smell an imagin here."**

Ruby was shocked as she asked, "Imagin? Where?"

" **Right there."** Momotaros said as he pointed at Jaune.

"There's no way Jaune can be the contract holder. There wasn't any sand coming off of him." Ruby defended Jaune.

Team JNPR started to feel uneasy as Pyrrha asked, "Is something wrong?"

" **Out of the way cereal box."** Momotaros said as he walked towards Jaune. Jaune was still sleeping until Momotaros grabbed Jaune's jacket and shook him **, "Alright imagin, I know you're in there so get out!"**

Team RWBY and (J)NPR were in shock at what Momotaros was doing. Mai was gonna say something until Pyrrha said, "Kurokuu, I don't want to hurt you, but I'm giving you one warning. Let. Go. Of. Jaune."

The student started to gather around our table because of the tense atmosphere. Then Jaune's eyes shot open as he grabbed Momotaros by the neck and shouted **, "Dosukoi!"** Then Jaune chokeslammed Momotaros into the table. Team R(W)BY and (J)NPR backed away while Mai and Weiss rushed towards Momotaros and helped him up. Mai and Weiss looked at Jaune as they saw the change in his appearance. His hair grew longer that it was tied up in a ponytail and his eyes were yellow instead of blue. Team RWBY and Mai were in shock while Team (J)NPR and the rest of the students were confused.

"So the contract holder is Jaune." Weiss states.

"Contract Holder?" Ren questioned.

"Jaune, are you okay?" Ruby asked cautiously.

The possessed Jaune turned to Team RWBY and (J)NPR slowly. The possessed Jaune cracked his neck with his thumb as he said **, "Oh Jaune-dono is fine. But first, I have a pest to deal with."**

As the possessed Jaune walked towards Momotaros, Mai pulled out her bow and arrow and threaten, "Don't you dare take another step, imagin. I don't miss."

Pyrrha, worried about Jaune, ran up to Jaune and shielded him as she said, "Mai, what are you doing! You're gonna kill Jaune!"

"That's not Jaune, Pyrrha. Now move!" Mai shouted.

Then Momotaros got up slowly as he said **, "How about we settle it outside in the forest? I've been itching for a fight lately. I guess you could be my warm-up for the day."**

" **Sounds good. Hope you have enough strength to back those words up."** The possessed Jaune said.

Then Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch entered the cafeteria as she demanded, "Students, what is the meaning of this?" They moved through the crowd as they saw Momotaros and the possessed Jaune, ready to fight. She looked shocked as she said, "An imagin possessed Mr. Arc?!"

Pyrrha's eyes widen as she said, "Possessed?!"

Momotaros cracked his knuckles as he said **, "Shall we?"**

" **With pleasure."** The possessed Jaune said. Then Momotaros and the possessed Jaune both jumped out of the windows of the cafeteria and ran to the Emerald Forest.

* * *

 _The students were ready to follow them as Professor Goodwitch created a small seal circle, to block off the cafeteria building. "No one leaves the cafeteria until the situation is handled!" The students all started to crowd around as Team RWBY and (J)NPR pushed their way through._

 _Ruby made it out first as she asked Professor Ozpin, "Professor Ozpin, you gotta let us through. You saw how strong the imagin is in Jaune. Imagine how strong he is without possessing Jaune."_

" _Young lady, you are to stay here in the cafeteria until Kurokuu handles the imagin. I believe he'll be fine."_

 _Then the rest of Team RWBY and (J)NPR made their way through. "Please we have to help Kurokuu!" Ruby pleaded._

" _For the last time, my answer is still-"_

" _Glynda," Professor Ozpin interrupted, "I'll allow them to go and aid Kurokuu."_

" _Professor Ozpin, you can't be serious. We can't be held responsible if they get harmed." Professor Goodwitch argued._

" _That is why I'll have Mai to monitor them." Professor Ozpin said. He turned to Mai and said, "The lives of these students is in your hands. Can you make sure they come back safe?"_

" _I will sir." Mai said._

" _May we go as well?" Pyrrha said. "Jaune is our leader. And as his teammates, we have to be there to help him."_

" _I don't see why not, Miss Nikos." Professor Ozpin said. He pulled out a scroll as he taps a button. "You should all get going. I have set your locker coordinates to the Emerald Forest so your weapons should be there." Team RWBY, (J)NPR, and Mai nodded as Professor Goodwitch cleared the way for them to the Emerald Forest._

* * *

In the Emerald Forest, Momotaros and the possessed Jaune stood silently as they heard the sounds of beowolves and ursas. Then Momotaros charged at the possessed Jaune and went in for a straight punch. The possessed Jaune reacted quickly and caught the punch with his right hand. Momotaros looked surprised as he said **, "That all you got?"** Then he grabbed Momotaros' arm and judo throw him into the tree. Momotaros got up quickly as he charged at the possessed Jaune. Momotaros did rapid punches but the possessed Jaune kept on dodging every attack. Then he blocked the next punch and shouted **, "Dosukoi!"** With all of his strength, he did an open palm strike against Momotaros. Momotaros flew back and hit his face in the dirt.

The possessed Jaune laughed as he said **, "Is that all you got?"**

Momotaros wiped the dirt of his face as he said **, "I got some tricks left in my sleeves."** Then he pulled out the Den-O belt, getting a shocked reaction from the possessed Jaune.

" **So you're the Den-O? Now I'm starting to get a little interested in your strength. Will you transform for me?"** Then a yellow aura surrounds Jaune as it forms some type of bear imagin. Jaune's body fell to the floor as the bear imagin pulled out a tissue and said **, "Do you want this before we start? You can blow your nose."**

Momotaros growled as he said **, "I ain't crying or having a runny nose!"** He wrapped the belt around him and connected it together. Then Momotaros hit the red button as it played its electronic tune. He poses as Momotaros said **, "Henshin!"** He swipes the pass over the belt as it called out.

 **SWORD FORM**

The armor materializes as Momtaros jumped inside of me. The pieces of the red armor appeared and combined together as the faceplate appeared and connected with the helmet. " **Ore sanjou!"** Momotaros said as he posed. He dashed at the bear imagin as he went for a straight punch. The bear imagin simply took the hit before doing a hook punch at Momotaros. Momotaros staggered as he tried to punch him again, only for the bear imagin to counter the attack and hooked him again. Then the bear imagin did an open palm strike and pushed Momotaros to the ground. Momotaros growls as he grabs the pieces Den-Gasher and formed his sword. Then Momotaros charged in at the bear imagin, slashing left and right.

The bear imagin staggered a little as he said **, "A sword wielder I see. But can you handle my axe?"** The bear imagin sticks his hands out as a yellow aura materializes into an axe. Then the bear imagin charges at Momotaros and attempted to slash him, but Momotaros was able to block the attack. Then the imagin attacked at the same spot again and again. Momotaros couldn't block it any longer as the bear imagin raises his axe in the air and strikes downwards, causing sparks to fly off him.

Momotaros fell on the ground before picking himself back up. Momotaros and the bear imagin were ready to attack each other again until they heard something in the sky and looked up as they saw seven lockers flying towards their location. Momotaros and the bear imagin both panicked as they moved out of the way.

As they stood back up, they heard someone shouting, "TEAM RWBY TO THE RESCUE!" Momotaros and the bear imagin looked up to see Team RWBY, (J)NPR, and Mai falling towards them.

As Team RWBY, (J)NPR, and Mai landed, Momotaros shouted **, "OI! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"**

"We are here to save you!" Ruby shouted excitedly.

" **I don't need your help! I can handle it!"** Momotaros said as he slashed at the bear imagin, but he used his axe to block the attack.

"Wait is that-?"

"Yes Ren, that's Kurokuu inside the armor. Now we have to hurry and help him!" Weiss said urgently.

Pyrrha scans her surroundings until she saw the unconscious Jaune. "There's Jaune, we have to help him!" As they were about to approach Jaune, they all heard a roar of an ursa followed by the sounds of a horde coming.

Momotaros took another hit from the axe and fell back on the ground. He growled in pain as he looked at Weiss and said **, "You brats fight off the grimms. I'll handle this!"**

"Hey, I'm not a-!"

"Weiss, there's no time. We have to hold them off!" Ruby shouted as she fired her Crescent Rose at the first incoming beowolves. Weiss looks back at Momotaros before she joined up Team RWBY, (J)NPR, and Mai, ready to face the horde of grimms. Rustling noises came from the bush as a beowolf jumped out. Ruby's quick reflexes kicked in as she pulled the trigger and shot the beowolf's head clean off. From there, more beowolves came as Team RWBY, (J)NPR, and Mai started to kill the incoming beowolves.

As the horde was being cleared out, Momotaros' sword clashed against the bear imagin's axe as they each try to overpower one another. Then the bear imagin kicked Momotaros in the stomach, knocking him off guard. He raises his axe and struck downwards, slashing Momotaros in the chest. Momotaros fell onto the ground and picked himself up as he said **, "You're pretty good. But not enough to make me cry."** He raises his sword as he charges, head on, towards the bear imagin.

'Momotaros, close range combat is too dangerous!' I said to Momotaros.

" **Just watch!"** Momotaros said as ran at the imagin. The bear imagin readied his axe as he swung the axe from left to right. But Momotaros jumps over him and lands in a tree. As he holds on to the branch, he pulls out the pass as he said **, "Hissatsu. My hissatsu attack!"** He places the pass in front of the belt as it called out.

 **FULL CHARGE**

Lasers entered the weapon as the blade glowed bright red. The blade was disconnected from the hilt as Momotaros swung the hilt downward, ready to strike the imagin. But with his quick reaction, the bear imagin uses his axe and throws it Momotaros. The axe slashed Momotaros across the chest, causing him to fall out of the tree and out of my body. However, the blade was able to strike the bear imagin on the shoulder, knocking him back slightly.

 _In the Den-Liner, Momotaros falls back in as he groaned in pain. Urataros and Naomi were surprised at Momotaros condition as Urataros said_ _ **, "Oh my, is it this bad?"**_

" _I think it is." Naomi said._

 _Momotaros tried to get up as he muttered_ _ **, "Damn...It."**_

I groaned in pain as I tried to pick myself back up. I look up to see the bear imagin walking towards me with his axe. "KUROKUU!" I turned to the voice as I saw Weiss running towards me. She dropped her weapon as she tried to help me up. "Come on, you gotta get up!"

Team R(W)BY, (J)NPR, and Mai arrived as Mai saw the bear imagin and pulled out her arrow from her quiver. She readies and aims her bow as she said, "DON'T MOVE!"

The bear imagin got closer as he said **, "My strength is not made for making women cry. Please move."**

"You are not gonna kill the Den-O! I won't let you destroy time again!" Mai shouted as she pulled the arrow back further.

"You're not hurting Kurokuu as long as we're here!" Ruby said as everyone pointed their weapons at him.

I grabbed Weiss shoulder's as I said, "Weiss, everyone, get out of here." Everyone looked surprised at what I said as I got myself back on my feet. "Urataros." I pressed the blue button as it played an aquatic tune. I swiped the pass over the belt as it called out.

 **ROD FORM**

Urataros jumped inside of me as blue armor pieces combined together. Then the faceplate appeared and connected on my helmet. Urataros stood up as he said **, "Kurokuu, I rather not be called when you are in a pinch. But, oh well."**

Ruby squealed in excitement as she saw the new set of armor. "YOU HAVE ANOTHER ARMOR?!"

Everyone else except Mai were shocked at the change in armor as the bear imagin said **, "Another one entered you."**

Urataros chuckled as he assembled his weapon **, "Since I'm here, won't you let me string you along?"** Behind the bear imagin, Jaune was limping towards us as he was wondering what is going on.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha cried out as she rushed towards him to help him up.

"Pyrrha, what happened?" Jaune asked.

"Mai said that you were possessed by a monster. And Kurokuu is trying to fight the monster right now."

Jaune looked at her in horror as he said, "No… I can't let him destroy my friend…"

As Urataros was ready to fight, he stops as he notices something in the sky. The bear imagin also looks up as we saw a rhino looking imagin ready to land. He pulled his mace out and smashed the ground, knocking everyone back with the sheer amount of force. Everyone got up as they saw the rhino imagin walking towards Jaune. Jaune looked up at the rhino imagin and trembled in fear **, "There you are. I looked all throughout Vale just for you. I wonder if your father knew you were here?"** Jaune looked at the rhino imagin in shock at what he said. " **Well, looks like my job is almost done. He never said that I had to bring you back in good condition."** He twirls his axe around as he said **, "Don't worry, you won't feel anything!"**

Jaune screamed loudly as the rhino imagin raised his mace in the air. Team RWBY and (J)NPR tried to run in as quickly as possible while Mai aimed her arrow at the rhino imagin. But in a turn of events, the bear imagin came in and took the hit for Jaune. The bear imagin moved the mace out of the way and pushed back the rhino imagin. He looked angrily at the rhino imagin as he asked **, "What do you think you are doing?"**

The rhino imagin swing his mace around as he said **, "I have a contract to complete. So get out of my way!"**

" **You won't lay a finger on Jaune-dono!"** The bear imagin said as he pointed his axe at the imagin.

Urataros sighed **, "Well what is this mess now?"**

'Urataros, we gotta save Jaune from the rhino imagin.' I informed Urataros.

" **Don't worry, I got this."** Urataros said as he aims and throws his rod at the rhino imagin. The rod pierces the rhino imagin and knocking him away from Jaune.

The rhino imagin got up as he said **, "Den-O?! I don't have time for you!"**

The rhino imagin tried to escape by jumping out of the forest, but Urataros used his rod and pulls him back down to the ground. " **You're not going anywhere."** Urataros said as he charges at the rhino imagin. He smacks the rhino imagin around before Urataros stabs him in the stomach. Urataros tried to lift the rhino imagin, but he couldn't lift him because of his weight. The rhino imagin took this advantage and grabbed the rod. Using his strength, the rhino imagin lifts Urataros over his shoulders. Urataros got up quickly and tried to attack the rhino imagin, but by the time he got up; The rhino imagin got away.

Urataros sighs as he said **, "Looks like the fish got away."** Urataros disconnected the belt, causing the armor to dematerialize. I breathed heavily before I collapsed on the ground.

* * *

 _Everyone turned to Kurokuu as he collapsed on the ground. Team RWBY and Mai rushed to Kurokuu. "Kurokuu, wake up! Say something!" Weiss shouted as she shook Kurokuu's shoulders._

 _The bear imagin walked towards Jaune but Team JNPR pointed their weapons at him. "Don't move! I won't let you hurt Jaune!" Pyrrha said, aiming her rifle at him._

" _ **I have no intention of hurting Jaune-dono."**_ _The bear imagin said as he jumps into Jaune's body, changing his appearance._

 _Mai walks towards the possessed Jaune and asked, "Stop! What do you think you're doing?!"_

" _ **I have a wish to grant for Jaune-dono."**_ _The possessed Jaune said. He walks past everyone as he said_ _ **, "I'll be in the forest if you want to find me."**_

" _I can't allow that. You and your kind have a haphazard way of logic. I don't know what you're up to but I won't let you finish the contract!" Mai shouted._

" _ **You'll find out if it's haphazard or not. Someone like you wouldn't understand a contract between two who wish to master the strength."**_ _The possessed Jaune said as runs deeper into the forest._

 _Mai growled as she said, "Team RWBY and (J)NPR, you guys bring Kurokuu to the infirmary while I handle with the imagin."_

 _Team RWBY, Ren, and Nora seemed to agree except for Pyrrha. "No, I'm coming with you. He's my partner and I have to be there to help him."_

 _Mai think about for a bit and said, "Fine, just don't get yourself hurt." She pulls out another arrow as she said, "Come on, we gotta find him." Pyrrha nodded as they both ran and searched for him._

 _Team RWBY, Ren, and Nora watched them run into the forest until Weiss said urgently, "Well what are we waiting for? We gotta have to bring Kurokuu back to the infirmary!"_

 _Yang lifts Kurokuu over her shoulder, "Geez Ice Queen, don't need to get your panties in a bunch. He'll be fine."_

" _Well there's no sense in dilly-dallying here if Pyrrha and Mai have that bear imagin already handled."_

" _Guys!" Blake shouted. "We can worry about the imagin later. Let's stop arguing and get Kurokuu back to the infirmary."_

" _Blake's right, let's get going!" Ruby exclaimed._

 _As they were about to walk back to Beacon, Ren said, "When we get there, I hope you guys have some information about what all of this is."_

 _Team RWBY looked at each other before Blake replied, "It's gonna be a long story."_

* * *

 _On the Den-Liner, Naomi patches Momotaros up while Urataros and The Owner sat quietly. Momotaros growled as he stood back up, but sat back down due to the pain he felt standing up too quickly._ " _ **That damn bear. Once I see him again, I'll kick his ass!"**_

" _ **You certainly showed him that you can kick his ass."**_ _Urataros said sarcastically._

" _ **Oi, Shut it turtle-soup!"**_

" _At ease, both of you. I don't need you to wreck the Den-Liner again." The Owner said as he continued eating his fried rice. He attempts to take another clump of rice, only for the flag to tip over._

* * *

 _Meanwhile at the Arc Household, Blanc sat nervously as he thought about what happened earlier. 'Was it all a dream?' He thought to himself as he got up and walked towards the kitchen. He arrives at the kitchen and opens the fridge to grab a milk carton. He closes the fridge and turns around to see the rhino imagin standing in front of him. Blanc fell down as the rhino imagin said_ _ **, "I found your son. The entire time, he was hiding in Beacon Academy."**_ _Blanc looked surprised as he processed the information._ " _ **Now time for a family reunion."**_ _The rhino imagin said as he grabbed Blanc and dragged him outside. With all his force, he jumps up in the air with Blanc on his back as he made his way to Beacon Academy._

* * *

I slowly open my eyes as I noticed that I was in the infirmary. "Kurokuu, you're awake." I turned to the voice as I saw Ren sitting across from me. "How do you feel?"

"Sore, I guess. What happened?"

"You fought the bear imagin in the Emerald Forest. He would've caused more damage to you if the rhino imagin didn't come in and tried to take Jaune."

I widen my eyes at what he said, "Wait, how do you…"

"Ruby told us!" Nora exclaimed. "That is so awesome! I didn't you can travel through time with a train! Have you ever done that to eat the same pancakes over and over again?! I know I would and-"

"Nora. Please let Kurokuu recover." Ren said calmly.

"Yes Renny..." Nora said begrudgingly as she sat back down quietly.

I looked around and noticed Mai and Pyrrha isn't here, as well as Jaune. "Hey where's Mai and Pyrrha?"

"They went off to look for the bear imagin that possessed Jaune." Blake said. "They're in the Emerald Forest still."

"I see." I thought back to the scene of the bear imagin protecting Jaune from the rhino imagin. 'Are all imagins evil like what Mai makes them to be? I mean I have Momotaros and Urataros who aren't like the imagins I've encountered. But why is Mai like that towards all imagins?' Then thise thoughts led me to another thought, 'Who is the rhino imagin's contractor? What does he want with Jaune? Why do I have so many questions but no answers?!'

I sighed as I got up from the hospital bed. I limped towards the door but Weiss stopped me and said, "Are you an idiot! You just recovered from all the attacks the bear imagin did! You wanna go fight him again?!"

"I'm not gonna fight him. I have to protect Jaune from the rhino imagin."

"But what's gonna stop the bear imagin from attacking you?!"

"I don't know. But deep inside, I think the bear imagin isn't a bad guy."

I was about to open the door until Ruby said, "We are coming with you!"

I sighed as I said, "Alright, then let's go find them." I opened the door as we all dashed out of the room and into the hallways.

* * *

 _Meanwhile in the Emerald Forest, Mai and Pyrrha are running around, trying to find the possessed Jaune. They stopped for a brief moment as a pack of beowolves ambushed them. Mai pulled out some arrows and shot three beowolves down. Pyrrha switches her weapon into a rifle as she shot down four other beowolves. Then a large ursa appeared, knocking the remaining beowolf aside. Mai switches out her normal arrow with a fire dust arrow and shot at the beast, creating a small explosion on the ursa. Then Pyrrha switches her weapon back into a spear as she threw her shield at the ursa, distracting the beast long enough for Pyrrha to charge in and stab the ursa in the head. The grimms slowly disintegrated, giving Pyrrha and Mai a brief moment to breathe. Mai sat on a rock while Pyrrha is standing up and pacing around with a distraught look on her face, "Where is Jaune? We haven't found him anywhere in the forest. What if he got hurt?!"_

" _Pyrrha, you need to stay calm. The bear imagin said that he's staying here to grant his wish. Most likely, he's still around here somewhere." Mai replied as she tried to calm Pyrrha down._

 _Pyrrha stopped moving and sat back down. She looks at Mai and asked, "By the way, what are these imagins. What do they want with Jaune?"_

 _Mai sighed and said, "In summary, imagins create contracts with humans in order to gain their bodies. And if the contract is complete, they can fly back to the past and destroy the future." Pyrrha looked horrified as she processed the information. Mai stood back up and said, "Come on, we don't have all day. We need to find Jaune before the rhino imagin finds him first." Pyrrha nodded as she caught up with Mai._

 _As they kept walking, they heard sounds of grunts and yelling coming from the west side of the forest. "Is that Jaune?" Pyrrha asked Mai._

 _Mai pulled out another arrow and said, "I don't know, but we're gonna find out now." They walked slowly to the source of the sounds as they saw the possessed Jaune, shirtless, using his sword to practice his strikes. Pyrrha blushed and covered her eyes while Mai walked towards the possessed Jaune._

 _The possessed Jaune turned around and noticed Mai as he picked up his jacket and wiped off his sweat._ " _ **Oh, hello there."**_

 _Mai took a deep breath as she said, "We have been looking everywhere for you. Now tell me what is your true plans. What is the contract you have between you and Jaune."_

" _ **Well I don't see why I don't need to tell you. I'm trying to help get Jaune-dono stronger. And that also means helping him in his swordplay."**_ _The possessed Jaune said as he swings the sword, two handed style._

 _Pyrrha notices the flaws that the possessed Jaune was making as she pointed out, "You're wielding the sword wrong. The sword is meant to be used one-handed because the sword is extremely light."_

" _ **Preposterous, my swordsmanship is unbeatable!"**_ _The possessed Jaune said as he kept on practicing until he notices Pyrrha pulling out Milo and Akouo. He looks at her and smiles and said_ _ **, "I see you use a shield and sword as well. Let's see if your skill can match with mine."**_ _Then the possessed Jaune charged and with a downward strike, but Pyrrha dodges the attack and attack him on the side. The possessed Jaune was knocked back slightly but was attacked again when Pyrrha shield bashed into him, knocking him to the ground. Pyrrha went in for the strike, but the possessed Jaune grabbed the blade just in time and kicked Pyrrha in the stomach. Pyrrha recover as the possessed Jaune got back up. They both charged at the same time as Crocea Mor made contract with the Akouo shield. Pyrrha grinned at the possessed Jaune as she sweep kicked him, causing him to fall on the floor._

 _Pyrrha points Milo at the possessed Jaune and said, "Do you yield?"_

 _The possessed Jaune sighed as he replied_ _ **, "I yield."**_ _He had a crestfallen look on his face as he sat on a log and hung his head low._

 _Mai pulled out a canteen out of her hoodie and said, "It's not for you, it's for Jaune. He must be tired from what you're putting him through."_

" _ **That's true."**_ _The possessed Jaune said as he grab the canteen and drank the water inside._

 _The possessed Jaune sighed some more, which triggered Mai. "What? Imagins always selfishly rush to grant a contract holder's wish. So why are you acting so depressed?"_

 _He looked up at the clear blue sky as he said_ _ **, "I don't know about others, but Jaune-dono wished to become stronger. He didn't want to become a burden on anyone. And I just wanted to grant that wish, that's all. So to train him, I used his body to increase his strength and helped him in hand to hand combat."**_

 _Mai's eyebrow raised slightly as she said, "Is that why Jaune seems to have increased substantially in combat?"_

" _ **Yep. But sadly, It seems like I don't know anything about swordplay. I've just been teaching him the wrong stuff."**_

 _The possessed Jaune took another sip of water as Mai looked at him confusingly and asked, "You're an imagin, why are you acting like such a good guy?! Isn't your goal is to change the past?!"_

 _The possessed Jaune's eyes widen in realization as he said_ _ **, "Oh, I forgot about that."**_

" _That can't be…"_

 _The possessed Jaune had a curious look on his face as he said_ _ **, "You really hate me don't you. What did I do to you?"**_ _Mai didn't know what to say as she looked away from him and kept quiet._

 _Pyrrha sat next to the possessed Jaune and asked, "If I may ask, why does Jaune assume that he's gonna be a burden towards someone."_

 _The possessed Jaune was about to say something until he closed his mouth and said_ _ **, "That is something that Jaune-dono must talk about to you. I have no rights to talk about his personal information."**_

" _Is it okay if I could speak with him?"_

" _ **I don't see why not. I'll leave you two to discuss."**_ _The possessed Jaune said as the bear imagin jumped out of Jaune, turning back to his normal appearance._

 _Jaune took a deep breath and noticed Pyrrha and Mai sitting next to him. "Oh...Uh... Pyrrha!"_

" _Jaune, I heard that you made a contract with a bear imagin. Why?"_

 _Jaune avoided eye contact with Pyrrha as he scratched his head nervously. "I...I…"_

" _Jaune, I'm your partner. And as your partner, I want to do whatever I can you help you with your problems. So please Jaune, tell me why. Why do you assume that you would be a burden?"_

 _Jaune rubbed his face stressfully as he stood up and looked at Pyrrha. "Pyrrha it's just that...I don't really belong here."_

 _Pyrrha looked surprised at what Jaune said and replied, "That's a terrible thing to say! Of course you do!"_

" _No I don't!" Jaune said as he sighed stressfully. "I wasn't really accepted to Beacon." Jaune said as he turned around to avoid eye contact with Pyrrha again._

" _What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked._

" _I mean I didn't go to combat school, I didn't pass any test, I didn't earn my spot at this Academy." Jaune said. He turns around again and faces Pyrrha, "I lied. I got my hands on some fake transcripts, and I lied!"_

 _Pyrrha was baffled at Jaune while Mai was in deep thought. 'That's why his transcripts doesn't match with the skills he has shown.' Pyrrha asked, "What? But why?"_

 _Jaune turns away from her again as he said, "Cause this is what I wanted to be! My father, my grandfather, and his father before him were all warriors! They were all heroes! I wanted to be one, but my father never allowed me." Jaune sat back on the log and hung his head low. Pyrrha tried to comfort Jaune but he refuses. Jaune said without making eye contact, "I could remember the words he said about me when he was talking to my mom. How 'I wasn't meant to be a huntsman.' Or how he said that, 'He wanted me to stay home and get a real job.' You know how bad that feels when your own father doesn't believe in me? It justs hurts…" Jaune covered his face with his hands as tears started to fall down on his face._

 _He rubbed the tears out of his eyes as he continued, "So I decided to run away from home and chase after my huntsman dream. But I didn't know where to start until I met someone who forged my transcripts, and that was the stepping stone for my dreams. But over time, I noticed how far behind I am with others. And when I became leader of Team JNPR, I didn't want my lack of skills to become a burden for you. I didn't want you or anyone getting hurt to protect me…"_

 _Pyrrha took a deep breath as grabbed Jaune's shoulders. "Jaune, you won't become a burden for me, Nora, Ren, or anyone. But please, let us help you. We're friends, and friends always help each other."_

" _Really, you really think I'm not a burden?" Jaune asked as Pyrrha nodded yes. Jaune looked at Pyrrha with tears in his eyes as he hugged Pyrrha and said, "Thank you…" Pyrrha didn't say anything as he hugged him back with a smile on her face._

 _But their small moment was cut short as Mai shouted, "GET DOWN!" Pyrrha looked up and saw the rhino imagin, with a man behind his back, about to land. Pyrrha grabbed Jaune and tried to move out of the way but the rhino imagin raised his mace and created a shockwave, knocking everyone to the ground. Pyrrha tried to get up but she couldn't keep her eyes opened and slowly lost consciousness._

* * *

We ran through the Emerald Forest until we felt huge rumbling beneath our feet. The shaking stopped as Yang said, "Is that the-"

"Yep, let's move!" I said as we ran towards the source of the rumbling. I pulled the belt out and wrapped it around me as we finally arrived at the scene. Mai and Pyrrha were knocked out as Jaune is trying to fight back the rhino imagin. The rhino imagin raised his mace and went for a downward strike but Jaune moved out of the way and slashed the imagin in the gut. The rhino imagin roared in pain as he backhands Jaune in the face, causing him to fly into the tree. The rhino imagin was about to finish him off until the bear imagin possessed Jaune and caught the mace with his hands. But the rhino imagin punched the possessed Jaune in the face, knocking back down into the tree again. The possessed Jaune is stunned while the rhino imagin dragged a man who look similarly like Jaune.

"Jaune!" The man shouted out.

" **Family is now back together. Contract complete."** The rhino imagin said as he jumped through the man's memories. Team RWBY, Ren, Nora, and I ran to Jaune as the bear imagin jumped out of him and turned into his physical form.

He sat Jaune upright as I shook Jaune and said, "Hey Jaune! Jaune! Are you with me?!"

He slowly opened his eyes as he looked around until he saw the blonde haired man. "Dad?!" Jaune said in fear.

I turned and looked at the blonde haired man as he said, "Jaune, my son. I have finally found you." He crawled slowly to Jaune and said, "Please Jaune, Please come home. Forget about this huntsman job. It's too dangerous."

Jaune didn't make eye contact with him as clenched his fist and muttered, "No."

"What did you say?" Jaune's dad asked angrily.

Jaune looked at his father with anger as he shouted, "I said...I'M NOT COMING WITH YOU!"

Jaune's father looked surprised as he said, "Now you listen here-"

"No dad, you listen!" Jaune interrupted. "My dream was always to be a huntsman like you and everyone else in the family. But do you know how much it hurts for me to hear you, my inspiration, telling me how I can't be a huntsman all because I'm weak? DO YOU HAVE ANY FAITH IN YOUR OWN SON?!" Jaune's father kept quiet as I pulled out the ticket and place it near his head. The ticket revealed the rhino imagin and the date 3/6/17. I turned around as I saw Jaune looking at the bear imagin. "Hey, I just want to say thank you for all you done for me. I wouldn't have got stronger with your help." He raised his hands to the bear imagin as he said, "Thank you…"

The bear imagin cracked his neck as he said **, "Contract complete."**

"Wait, you're going to fly!" Mai exclaimed as the bear imagin jumped inside of Jaune's memories, causing him to become unconscious.

"JAUNE!" Team (J)NPR shouted as they huddled around Jaune trying to wake him up.

"What was that! Looks like an imagin is an imagin!" Mai said. She pulled out a ticket and placed the ticket near Jaune's imagine of the bear imagin appeared and the date read 3/6/17, the same date as where the rhino imagin fled to. She growled angrily as she said, "I'm coming with you, I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch!"

I sighed as I pulled out the pass and slide the ticket in the slot. I looked up in the sky and I saw the portal opening up to reveal the Den-Liner. The Den-Liner made it to ground level and me and Mai were ready to enter until I heard Ruby saying, "We are coming with you."

I look back to Team RWBY and said, "No, Ruby just stay behind and get Ozpin."

"No Kurokuu, we're a team. And I'm not gonna stand by and wait helplessly when there are people in need in the past right now. This is what we're meant to do." Ruby said as Weiss, Blake, and Yang were backing her up.

Yang smiled and cracked her hands as she said, "Besides, I never experienced fighting an imagin before. So this should be fun."

I sighed, knowing that I can't stop them. "Alright, let's go!"

* * *

 _March 6, 2017_

 _Blanc is currently drinking coffee in the kitchen as all of the Arc kids are eating breakfast, except for one. He notices that Jaune wasn't at the table yet. He grumbles as he walk upstairs to Jaune's room. He knocks on the door twice and said, "Jaune, get up. Breakfast is ready downstairs." He heard no response as he knocked on the door harder. "Jaune, did you hear me? I said get up!" He still got no response and decided to open the door, but the doorknob was locked. Blanc started panicking as he hit his shoulder against the door._

" _Honey, is everything alright?" Soleil asked._

" _Jaune locked the door!" Blanc said as he kept on ramming in the door. Eventually he was able to get in the room, only to find a note and an open window. Soleil placed her hands over her mouth as Blanc fell on his knees and shouted, "JAAAAAUUUUUUNE!" Then sand came out of his clothes and Blanc's eyes changed from blue to purple._

 _Soleil cautiously walked towards the possessed Blanc as she asked, "Honey, are you okay?" She got her answer when the possessed Blanc grabbed her by the neck and pushed her into another room. The possessed Blanc grinned menacingly as he jumped out of the window and ran through the streets of Vale. As the rampage continued, a man in a brown cloak watched everything from the rooftops. He looked at his stopwatch before looking up to see the Den-Liner entering this time period. He puts the stopwatch back in his pockets and walks away before anyone else saw him._

* * *

Team RWBY, Mai, and I got off the Den-Liner as we witness the imagin's wrath. I looked to Team RWBY and said, "Alright, you guys get the civilians out of here before anything happens to them." Team RWBY all nodded as Mai and I approached Jaune's possessed father. More sand came off of him as the sand formed into the rhino imagin. I pulled out the Den-O belt and connected it around me. "Momotaros, let's go." I said as I pressed the red button on the belt. As the electronic tune played, I pulled out the pass and said, "Henshin." I swiped the pass over the belt as it called out.

 **SWORD FORM**

The armor materializes as Momotaros entered my body. The red armor pieces appeared and combined together as the faceplate connected with the helmet. Momotaros chuckled as he did his signature pose and said **, "Ore sanjou!"**

The rhino imagin growled as he replied **, "Then I'll make you taijou right away!"** The rhino imagin threw his mace at Momotaros, but he quickly dodged the attack and assembled his weapon. The mace was about to attack him from behind, but Momotaros slashed the mace out of the way. The mace returned back to the rhino imagin as they both charged at each other.

As we were fighting, I saw Team RWBY rounding up the civilians and escorting them out of the fight. They returned to the fight as Ruby said, "Momotaros, we're coming in!"

" **Oi! This is my fight!"** Momotaros said, but Team RWBY didn't listen and joined the battle. Ruby used the recoil of her gun to propel herself towards the imagin. She switched her weapon to scythe mode and slashed the rhino imagin left and right. Then she planted her scythe in the ground as she spun her body around and kicked the rhino imagin.

As he stumbled back, Weiss stabbed Myrtenaster in the ground and froze the rhino imagin in place. Blake stood in front of the rhino imagin as Weiss stood from behind. Ruby stood back up and called out, "WEISS, BLAKE, CHECKMATE!" Blake and Weiss nodded as they both charged at the rhino imagin. Weiss and Blake unleashed a fury of slashes and stabs against the imagin until Blake used the ribbons on her weapon and tied up the imagin. Then Weiss summoned a glyph and launched herself towards the imagin and kicked it in the back, sending him flying towards Yang. Yang grinned as she used Ember Celica to punch the imagin in the face, pushing him back slightly. Then Mai jumped in and fired three ice arrows at the imagin, encasing him in his place.

The rhino imagin growled loudly as he shouted **, "I'm not gonna let some kids...Do me in this quickly!"** Then the ice cracked around him as he broke free from the ice. He lifted his mace and threw it like a boomerang. The mace was able to attack everyone and knocking them back. He was ready to attack Momotaros until he saw the son of his contractor.

"DAD!" Jaune cried as he ran towards his father, trying to pick him up.

The rhino imagin threw his mace at a building, causing some debris to fall towards Jaune and his father. Ruby panicked as she shouted, "JAUNE LOOK OUT!"

As the debris was about to land on them, the bear imagin jumped out of Jaune and caught the falling debris. The bear imagin threw it out of the way as he told them **, "RUN JAUNE-DONO. GET YOUR FATHER OUT OF HERE!"**

"Come on, follow me!" Mai said as she led Jaune and his father out of harm's way.

" **What do you think you're doing!"** The rhino imagin said as he shot a ball of energy towards Mai, Jaune, and his father. The bear imagin reacted quickly as he jumped in the line of fire and took the hit for them.

We all gasped as we saw the bear imagin falling on his knees before laying down in pain. " **You bastard...What a dirty attack!"** Momotaros shouted as he slashed the rhino imagin in the arm, causing him to drop his mace. Team RWBY and Mai quickly huddled around the bear imagin as he slowly started to lose his physical form.

" **Are they okay?"** The bear imagin asked as he was coughing sand out of his mouth.

Mai looked at Jaune as he was carrying his father away from the fight. "Yeah, they're okay. But why?"

" **I wanted to change Jaune's past for the better. So he doesn't resent his father in the future. I just hope that this moment can change it."**

"Wait, so you're okay with disappearing?!"

" **Can't be helped."**

I witness the scene play out as we were fighting the rhino imagin. 'Momotaros! That imagin is about to disappear! What can we do?!' I asked frantically.

" **Idiot! Focus on the battle!"** Momotaros demanded as he was pushed back by the rhino imagin.

I couldn't focus on the fight as I watched helplessly. "Wait, you can't disappear!" Mai shouted with a hint of sadness in her voice.

The bear imagin sighed and said **, "Don't ask the impossible."**

"Come on! You are nothing like them! You don't deserve to die like this!" Ruby shouted as tears fell down her face. Yang wrapped her arms around Ruby, comforting her for what will happen to the bear imagin.

"That's no good! You have to find a way!" Mai shouted as she slammed her fist against the bear imagin's chest, but her fist went straight through him since he is made of sand.

The bear imagin looked at Mai confusingly as he asked **, "Why? Don't you hate us?"**

Mai clenched her fist and made no eye contact with the bear imagin. "Yeah...I really hate you guys!" Mai scratched her head furiously as she yelled in frustration. "Because you guys changed the flow of time, I came from a destroyed future!" Momotaros and Team RWBY looked at Mai in shock as she continued, "That future doesn't exist anymore. That's why you imagin should just all disappear!"

The bear imagin and Momotaros felt guilt at what their race did to her. "But I said wait! Wait!" Mai pleaded.

" **You...But how?"** The bear imagin asked.

I tried to think of any solution I can to save him. Come on, Kurokuu! Think of something! Wait. A plan. A plan that just might work! 'Why don't you enter me?' I said to the bear imagin.

" **What?!"** Momotaros shouted in shock as he continued fighting the rhino imagin.

The bear imagin looked surprised at what I said. 'Won't you be okay if you entered me?'

" **What are you saying, Kurokuu?! It's already a full house!"** Momotaros said as he attacked the rhino imagin again.

" **What are you babbling about!"** The rhino imagin said as he punched Momotaros in the face.

" **Wait him?"** The bear imagin questioned until Mai punched him in the face. " **What are you doing?!"**

"I just don't know!" Mai shouted as she scratched her head in frustration.

"What is even going on in this conversation?!" Yang shouted in frustration as she was wondering what we are talking about.

" **What a pain!"** Momotaros said as he pushed the mace downwards using his sword. He used his sword and slashed the rhino imagin off of him as he said **, "Oi, come here! Or get destroyed by her! Decide!"**

" **Wait what?!"** The bear imagin shouted as Mai punched him in the face, turning him into his orb form. He moved towards my direction and jumped inside of me, causing Momotaros to be ejected out of my body. The red armor pieces disappeared as I was in control.

Team RWBY looked at me in shock as Weiss said, "Is he seriously housing another imagin?!"

"What other ways can he save him from dying?!" Yang reasoned with Weiss.

' **You really okay with this?'** The bear imagin asked cautiously.

"Yeah, I'm sure we can fight together." I said to the bear imagin inside of me.

' **Be glad to help!'** The bear imagin said happily. I took a deep breath as I pressed the yellow button the belt. The yellow button played a calm instrumental music as I slowly moved the pass down towards the belt. I placed the pass over the belt and swiped it as it called out.

 **AXE FORM**

The bear imagin entered my body as yellow armor pieces appeared. The pieces combined together as the faceplate, which is shaped like an axe blade, connects with the helmet. Everyone got up as they noticed tissue paper falling from the sky.

" **Traitor."** The rhino imagin said as he twirled his mace around.

The bear imagin takes off the top piece of the sword and throws it in the air as he rearranges the other pieces. Then the last piece came back down as the bear imagin caught it and combined it the remaining pieces, forming the axe blade. " **My strength has made you cry."**

The rhino imagin twirled his mace once more before he said **, "Who's crying?!"** Then the rhino imagin charges at the bear imagin and goes in for the strike, but the bear imagin blocked the attack with his axe. The rhino imagin kept on attacking while the bear imagin kept on blocking. Then as the rhino imagin goes in for another attack, the bear imagin slices upwards, causing the mace to fall apart. The rhino imagin was in shock as the bear imagin slashed him across the chest, knocking him back. As the rhino imagin tries to get back up, the bear imagin pulls out the pass and places it in front of the belt.

 **FULL CHARGE**

Lasers came out of the belt and into the axe as the bear imagin throws the axe in the air. The bear imagin widens his stance as he jumps in the air and catches the axe. He moves his axe in a downward position and sliced the rhino imagin in half, causing him to explode. " **Dynamic chop."** The bear imagin said as he posed.

'Oh so you say it afterwards huh?'

" **It just feels right."**

"KUROKUU!" The bear imagin turns to the source of the voice as it was Mai and Team RWBY running towards us.

" **I must go now. Thank you, Kurokuu-dono."** The bear imagin said as he disconnected the belt. The armor dematerialized as I felt on my knees, tired from the fight.

Mai and Yang carried me on their shoulders as Ruby asked, "Is that bear imagin okay?"

I took a deep breath and said, "Yeah...He's okay."

Ruby sighed with relief as Weiss came up and said, "You idiot! Now that you have three imagins in you, how are you supposed to stay awake in class?!"

Blake rolled her eyes as she grabbed Weiss' shoulder and said, "Weiss, I think we have more important issues right now, other than school."

"Yeah Ice Queen, can you just 'chill' out for a moment." Yang said with a cheeky grin on her face. We all groaned as Yang said, "What? That's a good pun."

"Let's just go back home." I said tiredly. Team RWBY and Mai agreed as we made our way to a random door.

* * *

 _Jaune sat alone on top of the dorm building as he thought about what Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha said about Kurokuu and the imagins. 'Man, what a wild day.' Jaune thought to himself as he laid on his back and watched the stars and the broken moon. "Hey Jaune."_

 _Jaune got up and saw Pyrrha standing near the doorway. "Oh hey Pyrrha. I'm just getting some fresh air after what you guys told me about the imagins and how Kurokuu is a time-traveling hero." Pyrrha made her way towards Jaune and sat next to him. "You know that does explain why I saw Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, and Mai in the past. My father would've died if it Kurokuu and Ruby didn't save him."_

 _Pyrrha took a deep breath and asked cautiously, "About your father, why don't you talk about him much?"_

 _Jaune sighed as he scratched his head nervously, "Well we kinda don't talk much. My father doesn't like the recent life choice I made but he still supports it. I could remember the argument we had after the attack with the monster. But eventually he understood what I felt and allowed me to go." Pyrrha nodded in understanding as Jaune said, "Pyrrha, I...Just want to say that I'm sorry for not telling you about my imagin and how isolated I was towards you guys and-"_

 _Pyrrha got up and said, "Jaune! it's okay." Pyrrha walked towards the exit as she said, "Your team misses their leader, you know. You should come down, Ren made pancakes. No syrup though, you can thank Nora for that!"_

 _Jaune smiles slightly until he reaches his hand out. "Wait." Pyrrha turns around and looks at Jaune. "I know it's weird to ask this but, can you help me become a better fighter?"_

 _Pyrrha smiles at Jaune and said, "Of course Jaune. We're friends, and friends always help each other." Jaune sighed in relief until Pyrrha pushes Jaune to the ground._

" _Hey!" Jaune whined._

" _You're stance is all wrong. You need to be wider and lower to the ground." She offers her hand to Jaune, who graciously accepts. They still held hands as Pyrrha said, "Let's try that again."_

* * *

Everyone was doing their own thing as Momotaros said **, "Man...It's gotten more crowded here. Turtle boy, little brats, and now you."**

" **Oi** /Hey!" Urataros and Team RWBY said, hurt by Momotaros' comment.

Urataros looked at the bear imagin and asked **, "I wonder, why kind of image is he supposed to be?"**

Naomi walked around and looked at the bear imagin as she replied, "He's Kintarou! Kintaros...Kintarou-chan!"

Momotaros laughs as he said **, "Naomi, well said. Hey bear boy, you're Kintaros."**

The bear imagin, now named Kintaros, disregarded Momotaros as he sat in front of Mai. " **Mai...Your scream of love made me cry."** Mai didn't take the comment well as she punched Kintaros in the face. She ignored Kintaros as she went back to her thoughts. I started to think about what Mai said. She was from a destroyed future. But how is she still here? Wouldn't she disappeared like what she said about her time?

Then I felt a hand on my shoulder as I turned around and saw The Owner behind me. I jumped slightly as he answered, "She's a singular point." My eyes widen at what The Owner said as I kept on looking at Mai in shock. "No matter what time she's in, it will have no effect on her existence. But that does not mean she's immortal." The Owner said as he circled around me.

"Mai is-"

"Right now this place is her time. That's good enough." The Owner interrupted me. "Also, I prefer you don't try to make contact with anyone you know from the past. It could cause major ripple effects throughout time. Luckily, your encounter with Jaune and his father didn't change the flow of time too much." I was about to ask another question until The Owner said, "So everyone, to welcome our new passenger, I'll treat everyone with special pudding with a flag!" The Owner said as Naomi pulled out a tray, filled with plates of pudding.

Ruby and Momotaros drooled slightly as they both shouted **, "PUDDING** /PUDDING!" We all huddled around the plates of pudding as we all had one of our own. As I was eating the pudding, I looked towards Mai, who is still in deep thought. Even though some of my questions were answered, I had more questions. 'How did Mai become a singular point? Why didn't Mai say anything about her being a singular point? Is that what happens if I fail to stop the imagins?' Mai noticed that I was looking at her and I quickly looked away, trying not to make eye contact. I started to contemplate about my duties as a rider. 'What if...What if I fail to save everyone? I would lose everyone I care for. Kasumi, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, and Team JNPR.' I rubbed my face stressfully as I continued to ponder about myself. 'No Kurokuu, get a hold of yourself. You won't fail. This should give me more reasons to keep on fighting. I won't let anyone die on my watch. I must get stronger.'


	7. Chapter 7: Where Strength Truly Lies

(A/N:) Hey everyone, LGCrusader here! Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been busy with my outside life lately as well as planning the chapters for Volume 2 and 3 of this series. And before I go, I had some questions about Zeronos and the imagins. And let's just say, it's happening very soon. But anyways, let me know what you think and I hope you enjoy.

I do not I own the rights to the series RWBY or Kamen Rider. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth Productions and The Kamen Rider Series is owned by Toei Company

"Normal Speech"

'Thoughts/Inner communication between OC and imagin'

 _"Third Person/Flashback"_

 **"Imagin speech"**

* * *

 _It was a normal afternoon for Team RWBY and JNPR as they sat quietly during Doctor Oobleck's class. Everyone was trying to keep up with Professor Oobleck's lesson, who is zipping around the classroom left and right. Ruby, Yang, Nora, and Jaune were trying to catch up with the notes they missed while Weiss, Blake, Pyrrha, and Ren simply listened. Kurokuu on the other hand, is quietly sleeping without a care in the world._

" _Yes! Yes, prior to the Faunus Rights Revolution-more popularly known as the Faunus War." The fast-talking, green-haired professor said as he moved towards the map of Remnant, which was filled with papers that had strings connecting with one another. "Humankind was quite, quite adamant about centralizing Faunus population in Menagerie." He points at the bottom right hand corner of the map, which shows a small island where the faunus lived. Professor Oobleck zoomed off to this side and took a sip of coffee before he appeared in front of the classroom. "Now! While this must feel like ancient history to many of you, it is imperative to remember that these are relatively recent events! Why, the repercussions of the uprising can still be seen to this day!" Professor Oobleck zooms around the classroom a bit more until he took a sip of his coffee and appeared in front of the class and asked, "Now! Have any among you been subjugated or discriminated because of your Faunus heritage?"_

 _Many of the faunus students kept their hands lowered while some has raised their hands. After a moment, a faunus girl with long brown hair, dark brown eyes, and a pair of bunny ears slowly raised her hands._

 _"Dreadful, simply dreadful! Remember, students, it is precisely this kind of ignorance that breeds violence!" Professor Oobleck said after he took a sip of coffee. "I mean, I mean, I mean just look at what happened to White Fang! Now, which one of you young scholars can tell me what many theorize to be the turning point in the third year of the War?"_

 _Weiss shot her hand straight in the air and said, "The Battle of Fort Castle!"_

" _Precisely! And, who can tell me the advantage the Faunus had over General Lagune's forces?"_

* * *

 _It was a cold winter day at the Milk Dipper. Kasumi and the man in the hat were happily putting up Christmas ornaments on the tree. Kasumi was decorating the tree while The Man in the Hat was standing on a ladder, trying to place the star on top of the tree. I walked in the room and brought out the boxes of ornaments we kept upstairs. As I carried them to the tree, I tripped on one of the boxes and fell into the tree, which caused the tree to fall onto the man in the hat. I heard Kasumi laughing happily as I rushed towards the man in the hat, trying to help him up. He rubbed his head, embarrassingly, as he got back up with my help. He was about to take off his hat until…_

* * *

I felt something hit me in the back of my head which caused me to wake up. I turned around and said to the person behind me, "Hey!"

I saw Cardin snickering at me before Professor Oobleck appeared in front of me and said, "Mr. Akarui! Finally contributing to class! This is excellent! Excellent! What is the answer?"

I started to panic slightly as I looked at Mai for the answer, who made an "I don't know" gesture. I looked to Weiss next as she started to point at her eyes. "Uhh…The answer…The advantage that the faunus had over Lagune's forces is…" Weiss then started to cup her hands around her eyes. 'Wait, binoculars? No wait, Fanus doesn't need binoculars if they already have great vision. But how can they see in the dark?'

Professor Oobleck started to grow impatient as he said, "Come on Mr. Akarui, I don't have all period."

'How can faunus see in the dark? Come on, don't let Weiss studying session be a complete waste!' I could feel Professor Oobleck's eyes glaring at me, waiting for my answer. 'Wait, I remember now!' I cleared my throat and said confidently, "The advantage the faunus had over General Lagune's forces is nightvision. Faunus are known to have better senses than humans as well as have night vision."

Weiss sighed in relief as Professor Oobleck exclaimed, "Very good, Mr Akarui!"

Professor Oobleck looked over towards Blake, with her hand raised in the air. Doctor Oobleck signaled Blake, allowing her to speak. "General Lagune was inexperienced, and made the mistake of trying to ambush the Faunus in their sleep. His massive army was outmatched, and the general was captured," Blake said until she turned her head towards Cardin. "Perhaps if he'd pay attention in class, he wouldn't have been remembered as such a failure."

Cardin gets up in his seat with his fist clenched. I turned around and said, "Cardin, just sit down."

Cardin looked towards me with a furious expression on his face and shouted, "Why don't you stop me?! Or are you gonna cry?!"

* * *

 _Meanwhile on the Den-Liner, everyone was doing their normal business. Momotaros and Urataros were arm wrestling each other, Naomi coming up with some new recipes, and Kintaros snoozing away. As the grunts and growling of Momotaros and Urataros filled the room, Kintaros wakes up suddenly and said_ _ **, "Cry?"**_

 _Momotaros looked over to Kintaros, only for Urataros to win the match._ " _ **Ha! I win senpai!"**_

 _Momotaros ignored him as he said to Kintaros,_ " _ **Oi, Bear Boy! What are you babbling about?"**_

 _Kintaros ignored Momotaros as he kept on mumbling_ _ **, "Cry?"**_ _Then Kintaros stands up from his seat and shouted_ _ **, "CRY!"**_ _Just like that, Kintaros disappeared from the Den-Liner._

 _Momotaros yelled loudly as he said_ _ **, "DAMN IT BEAR BOY!"**_

* * *

As I stared into Cardin's eyes, I felt Kintaros enter my body. My eyes changed from dark brown to yellow and my hair grew into a ponytail with a yellow streak appearing on the side. Kintaros cracked his neck as he said **, "You'll cry!"**

"I like to see you try!" Cardin retorted.

Team RWBY and JNPR were ready to intervene until Kintaros jumped up from my seat and into Cardin's row. Kintaros grabbed Cardin and body slammed him into my seat. Kintaros laughed at Cardin as he said **, "My strength has made you cry,"** Kintaros pulls out a tissue paper **, " Here, wipe your tears with this."**

As Cardin groaned in pain, Professor Oobleck zoomed towards Kintaros and said, "Mr. Akarui! Cease this violent behavior at once!"

Kintaros looked like he was ready to attack Doctor Oobleck until I said to him, 'This is bad! Kintaros you gotta leave right now!'

Kintaros grumbled as he said **, "Yes Kurokuu-dono."** Then Kintaros jumped out of my body as I finally regained control of my body. I looked around and saw the shocked reaction of all the student in the class except Team RWBY, JNPR, and Mai. Cardin got up slowly as he was ready to fight me again.

"Enough! Both of you will cease this behavior." Professor Oobleck shouted, causing us to sit back down. Professor Oobleck readjusts his glasses as he said, "Both of you will see me after class about your behavior. Understood?" I nodded in response while Cardin growled slightly. "Good, now! Moving on!" Professor Oobleck said as he zoomed around the classroom. I set my head down on the table as I used my arms to hide my face. 'Seems like I always get bad luck now. What do I ever do to get all this bad luck?' I thought to myself as I agonizingly waited for class to be over.

* * *

 **Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time**

 **Chapter 7: Where Strength Truly Lies**

* * *

It's been a week since Kintaros joined the group. I anxiously waited for the clock to reach 1:45 so I can get out of Oobleck's class. Time moved to a crawl as the second hand reached to 12. Then the bell rang as Professor Oobleck said, "Okay class dismissed! Mr. Akarui and Mr. Winchester, please come see me now!"

As Cardin and I walked to Professor Oobleck's desk, I turn around and saw Team RWBY and JNPR waiting for me. I signaled them to go without me and they seemed to get the idea and left the classroom. I faced back to Professor Oobleck as he said, "Mr. Winchester, your actions in class has been disruptive as of late. And I have been constantly giving you warnings on your behaviors. Also your failing grades isn't helping your situation."

Cardin, with a furious expression on his face, said, "Why are you talking about me?! Why don't you talk about sleeping beauty over there! Not only he's been sleeping during class, he also attacked me!"

Professor Oobleck took a sip of his coffee and said, "Yes although that it true, the staff of Beacon has notified me of the 'side effects' of Mr. Akarui's semblance. So I cannot control Mr. Akarui's actions."

Cardin gritted his teeth as he said, "So you're just letting him off the hook?!"

"No, Mr. Akarui will have to pay for the broken seat and table."

I quickly pull out my wallet and said, "Alright, how much?"

"200 liens." Professor Oobleck exclaimed.

My jaws dropped as I heard the price of the table and seat. '200 liens?! Where am I supposed to get 200 liens?!' I started to rambling until I heard someone said, "I'll pay for this dolt's mistake." I turned around and saw Weiss standing at the entrance of the classroom. She walks towards Professor Oobleck and gives him 200 liens up front. "I am so sorry for my teammate's behavior during class. I promise that he will. Not. Do. It. Again." Weiss said as she stared intently at me.

Professor Oobleck adjusts his glasses and said, "Good, I expect Mr. Akarui to be on his best behavior next time I see him. You are free to leave." Weiss, Cardin, and I were about to leave until Professor Oobleck said to Cardin, "Not so fast Mr. Winchester. You must stay here for additional readings as punishment. Maybe this will make you think twice about misbehaving in my class again."

Cardin had an expression of pure rage as he turns to me and said, "Don't think this is over, Kurokuu. You'll get what's coming to you soon."

I was about to say something until Weiss grabbed my shoulder and said, "Come on Kurokuu, he's not worth your time." I listened to Weiss as we both walked out the classroom.

As we walked down the halls, I turned to Weiss and asked, "Why did you wait for me?"

"Well, someone had to bail you out of trouble."

I smirked slightly as I said, "And if I wasn't in trouble?"

"If you weren't in trouble then you wouldn't been in there to begin with." I sighed in defeat since Weiss made some valid points.

There was an awkward silence between us as the sounds of our footsteps resonated throughout the halls. I cleared my throat and said, "So Weiss, did you turn in your permission slip to go to the Forever Fall Forest?"

"Of course I did." Weiss retorted. "I wouldn't miss this field trip in the world. It's so beautiful there at this time of the year."

"Yeah I guess. I wonder what we will do there?" I said to Weiss, who had a worried expression on her face. I felt concerned for Weiss and asked, "Weiss, what's wrong?"

"Well since now you have three imagins in you, I'm just worried about your condition as of late. You been more exhausted lately in combat class and your grades has been dropping."

I rubbed my eyes stressfully and replied, "Weiss, you don't need to worry about me. I've just been busy lately. Also the study session you've been giving to me and Ruby has really helped so I'll be fine in class." Weiss is in deep thought as she didn't seem convinced at what I said. Then Weiss and I finally arrived at our team dorms.

Weiss was about to open the door but she notices me leaving. "Kurokuu, where are you going?"

"Oh, I gotta go run some errands. I'll be back before curfew." I lied to Weiss.

She sighed as she said, "Alright, I'll see you later. Just try not to take to long, we have to study for our test in Professor Port's class."

"Alright, got it. Seeya!" I shouted to Weiss as I ran through the halls. 'Alright, time to train.' I thought to myself as I made my way to the training room.

* * *

 _Weiss looks back at Kurokuu walking down the halls before she opens the door to see Ruby playing video games on Kurokuu's console, Blake reading her book as always, and Yang relaxing while listening to music. Ruby turns around and said to Weiss, "Hey Weiss, where were you?"_

" _I was waiting for Kurokuu." Weiss replied._

 _Yang sits up and asked, "Well where's Kurokuu?"_

" _Kurokuu said he has some errands to attend to."_

 _Ruby, Blake, and Yang all nodded until Ruby notices Weiss' worried expression on her face. "Weiss, what's wrong?"_

 _Weiss sighed and said, "It's just… Haven't you noticed that Kurokuu has been acting different lately?"_

" _I don't think so. What do you mean by Kurokuu acting differently?" Yang asked._

" _Like he's been more distant with us. Haven't you notice how often Kurokuu disappears after class? Or how tired he has been lately?" Weiss said with a worried tone. Ruby was about to say something, but Weiss interrupts her and said, "Even more than usual, Ruby. He slept in Professor Port's class the entire time!"_

 _Blake closes her book and said, "Weiss, I think you are just overreacting. Since Kurokuu has three imagins in him, that has taken a toll on his body. But, you are right about Kurokuu disappearing after class."_

" _Weiss, I think Kurokuu is fine." Ruby reassures._

 _Yang hopped off her bed and walks towards Weiss. She leans her arm on Weiss' shoulder as she said, "Yeah, Ruby is right. Kurokuu can handle himself. I don't see the point in worrying if Kurokuu isn't doing anything to make us worry."_

" _I guess you're right. Maybe I am worrying too much for nothing." Weiss said._

 _Yang smirks as she said, "Weiss...This is the first time I ever heard you worry like that about someone. Does Ice Queen have a soft spot for Kurokuu under that cold, hard exterior?"_

 _Weiss blushes slightly as Ruby laughed at her. But Blake didn't seem to care as she kept on reading. "No! I… Don't know what you mean. Kurokuu is part of the team. And I'm just doing what I can to be a good teammate."_

 _Yang snickered some more as she said, "Yeah Ice Queen, 'good teammate' got it."_

* * *

 _Meanwhile, Cardin is walking to his dorm after being stuck in Professor Oobleck's class. As he speed walks to his dorms, he clenches his hand and said to himself, "Damn Kuroukuu, he thinks he's hot shit?! I'll show that son of a bitch what happens if he messes with a Winchester." Then a yellow orb phased through the windows of the hallways and jumped into Cardin._

 _Cardin notices sand coming off of him as the sand formed into an imagin with an ivy plant motif. Cardin fell to the floor as the ivy imagin said_ _ **, "Tell me your wish, I will grant that wish. But you must pay me back one thing."**_

 _Cardin couldn't believe at what he was seeing. He was ready to crush the imagin until he mentioned the offer. It sounded tempting. Cardin looks at the imagin and said, "I want to humiliate Kurokuu. To show that he will never mess with me again as long as he lives."_

" _ **Your contract has been heard."**_ _The ivy imagin said as he gains his physical form. Suddenly Cardin started to felt suddenly fatigue as he collapsed against the walls of the hallways_ _ **.**_

* * *

I breathed heavily as I saw the pack of six beowolves surrounding me. I lifted Kintaros' axe and waited for their next attack. The trees around me swayed quietly as there was no movement between us. The silence didn't last long as the first beowolf went in for the kill, trying to attacking me from behind. I blocked the beowolf's bite and kicked it away from me, causing it to collide with it's comrades. The beowolves growled at me as they all charged in front of me. I swung the axe from left to right, knocking them all away. Then I went on the offense and ran towards the alpha beowolf and sliced it in half. The beowolves howled at the death of their leader before they all attempted to attack me at once. I was able to knock all of them out except for one. The beowolf pounced on me, knocking me towards the ground and accidentally dropped my weapon. The beowolf tried to claw my guts out, but I used my strength and pushed the beowolf off of me. I got up quickly and immediately went for the axe. As I picked up the axe, the beowolves were all trying to charge towards me once again. I took a deep breath and ran straight through the pack. I swung my axe diagonally, cutting the first beowolf in half. Then I kicked the next beowolf in the stomach, disorienting it, before I lifted the axe and split it's head in half. The axe got stuck in the dead beowolf's head and attempted to pry it off. I managed to pry the axe off of the beowolf's head as I noticed the remaining three beowolves moving cautiously around me. I took advantage of their cautiousness as I lifted the axe and threw it at them. The axe moved like a boomerang, slicing off all of the remaining beowolves' heads.

The axe returned back to my hands as I took a deep breath. "Alright, what's my time B.I.L.S.S.?"

Then the forest surroundings digitized back into the gym as B.I.L.S.S., our school's computer system AI, said, "Your time is 5 minutes and 36 seconds. You have killed a total of 14 beowolves and 2 ursas during your time in simulation. Would you like to try again?"

"No B.I.L.S.S., I'm okay." I said to the computer AI. I sat at a nearby bench as I wiped the sweat off of my face.

Kintaros' axe disappears as he appeared in front of me in his sand form. " **Hello Kurokuu-dono."**

"Hey Kintaros. Thanks for letting me train with your axe." I said gratefully.

" **It is not problem. If someone wishes to become stronger, I'll be there to guide them."**

"Thanks Kintaros, it means alot to me right now."

There was a brief moment of silence between us until Kintaros cracked his neck and asked **, "If I may ask, why do you want to get stronger?"**

"Why do you ask?"

" **Simply curious is all."**

I looked at Kintaros before taking deep breath as said, "The reason why I want to become stronger is because I have to. Ever since Mai told everyone how she came from a destroyed future, I started to think about the future. What if I wasn't strong enough? What if I wasn't able to stop the imagins from destroying time? What if...I fail to save everyone?" I turned back around and saw that Kintaros in complete silence. I clenched my hand as I continued, "I...I just don't want to see anyone die because I'm too weak."

Kintaros still didn't looked convinced as he said **, "Kurokuu-dono, I still believe you are strong."**

I stood back up and shouted to Kintaros, "No, I'm not strong! When we fight imagins, you, Momotaros, and Urataros are all the real fighters! I'm just the vessel for you guys to fight in!" I calmed down slightly as I sat back down and sunk my head down low. I said to Kintaros softly, "I'm not a real fighter like you guys. Hell, the only reason why I'm even here is because I'm the Den-O and they want me to train here. Which is what I'm exactly gonna do instead of you guys doing the fighting for me."

Kintaros sat next to me as he puts his hand on my shoulders and said **, "Kurokuu-dono, I understand your fear of failure. But I don't see the point in training to become stronger if you are already strong."**

"What do you mean by 'I'm already strong?'"

" **Exactly what I mean. You're already strong in here."** Kintaros said as he places his fist against my heart.

I was trying to grasp what Kintaros meant by strength in "here" until I notice Kintaros looking around cautiously. "Kintaros, what's wrong?"

" **Imagin, I sense it. He's here."** Kintaros warned me.

I turned around and saw the imagin standing at the entrance. The imagin has some kind of ivy plant motif. The imagin clapped his hands and said **, "Well, well, well. Looks like my contract holder's target is the Den-O. Isn't today my lucky day."**

"What do you want?" I asked the imagin.

" **Oh nothing much, my contract holder wanted to humiliate you in some way. Maybe if**

 **I beat you to the inch of your life, I let my contractor take the credit and my contract is complete."**

I growled angrily as I pulled out the Den-O belt and pass. "Not unless I stop you." I connected the belt around my waist and said, "Henshin." I swipe the pass over the belt as the armor materializes in the default form. I charged towards the ivy imagin and punched him in the gut, knocking him back slightly. The ivy imagin quickly retaliated by summoning a double bladed sword and slashing me relentlessly.

I fell to the ground in pain as Kintaros ran towards me and said **, "Kurokuu! Just let me take over!"**

"I got this!" I shouted as I tackled the ivy imagin down. I stood over him and punched the ivy imagin repeatedly before he pushed me off. The ivy imagin uses his vines as a whip and lashes me over and over. I grabbed one of thee vinesm only for the ivy imagin to pull me closer to him and slashes me with his sword. I fell back to the ground in pain as the ivy imagin towered over me.

Kintaros growled and said **, "Sorry Kurokuu, but this is for your own good!"** Kintaros became translucent as he possessed my body. I felt his presence take over as Kintaros presses the yellow button on the belt. The yellow button played its calm instrumental tune and Kintaros swipes the pass over the belt.

 **AXE FORM**

Kintaros pushed the imagin away as the yellow pieces of the armor and faceplate appeared and combined together. Kintaros cracked his neck as he said **, "My strength will make you cry!"**

Kintaros quickly assembled his axe as the ivy imagin attacked him using his vines. Kintaros saw this coming as he slices his way through the incoming vines. Kintaros kept on slicing the vines until he was able to close the distance between them and slashing the ivy imagin across the chest.

The ivy imagin groaned in pain as he said **, "How about we take this outside!"** With that said, the ivy imagin wrapped his vines around Kintaros and threw him out of the window.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, Team RWBY is walking towards the library. "It's been a while. I wonder what's Kurokuu doing that's taking so long." Weiss said with a worried tone._

" _Weiss relax! I'm pretty sure that Kurokuu is just fine," Yang said with her hands behind her head, "Besides, it's not like he's picking a fight with someone." And as soon as Yang uttered the last sentence, they saw Kintaros and the ivy imagin falling out the window. "Okay, that was just a coincidence. I didn't jinx it whatsoever."_

 _Weiss, obviously worried about Kurokuu, ran to Kintaros' location. Ruby reached out her hand and shouted, "Weiss, where are you going?!"_

" _We have to help Kurokuu, now coming on!" Weiss shouted. Weiss didn't look where she was going as she bumped into Jaune and the rest of his team. "Out of the way, you oaf!" Weiss shouted angrily as she kept on running._

 _Jaune looked at Weiss curiously and asked Team R(W)BY, "Guys, what's going on?"_

 _Blake pulled out Gambol Shroud and said, "An imagin is here and Kurokuu is fighting it, right now."_

 _Pyrrha pulled out Milo and Akouo and said, "We're coming with you."_

 _Nora grinned excitedly as she pulled out her grenade launcher and said, "Finally! Time for me to break some monster's legs!"_

 _They all pulled out their weapons as Ruby said, "Now, start operation stop imagin begin!" They all nodded in agreement as they ran to Kintaros' location._

 _Meanwhile, Mai sat in Professor Oobleck's office as she sorts out all the work and assignments. As she was checking, she heard the sounds of weapons clashing. She got up quickly as she saw Kintaros and the ivy imagin fighting at the Main avenue of Beacon. She said with frustration, "Can't go through one week without an imagin attack can I?" Mai got up and grabbed her bow and arrow as she dashed towards Kintaros' location as well._

 _As she ran down the halls she saw Team R(W)BY and JNPR running down the halls. "I'll assume you guys saw Kurokuu."_

" _Yeah, we have to hurry and stop the imagin!" Ruby shouted._

" _Don't have to tell me twice kiddo." Mai said as she joined along._

* * *

The ivy imagin uses his vines to lash at Kintaros, only for him to cut the vines using his axe. Kintaros grabs the next set of ones and pulls the ivy imagin towards himself and slashes upward. The ivy imagin stumbles for bit until he recovered and said **, "I'm not going down like this!"** Then the ivy imagin holds his double bladed sword like a spear and throws it directly at Kintaros.

Kintaros uses his axe and deflects it. Kintaros chuckled as he said **, "Is that your be-?"** Kintaros' words were quickly interrupted as the ivy imagin uses his whips again and lashes Kintaros, knocking him to the ground and dropping the axe.

Kintaros attempted to grab his weapon, only for the ivy imagin to use his vines and wrap his legs around, pulling him closer. " **Not so tough without your weapon now, huh?!"** The ivy imagin taunted as he slashes Kintaros with his sword again and again.

All Kintaros could do was to block the attacks with his hands until he saw a lightning bolt striking the ivy imagin. Kintaros quickly got up and saw Weiss along with Team RWBY, JNPR, and Mai. Ruby and Weiss helped Kintaros up while Mai and the rest of Team RWBY and JNPR surrounded the ivy imagin. Yang cracked her knuckles and said, "Finally something happens around here. I've been so bored for the past week. Hope you are not as weak as the last imagin we fought."

The ivy imagin growled and said **, "Didn't your school teach you not to underestimate your opponent?"**

Jaune looks at the imagin cautiously until he saw the imagin's vines coming from the arms. "Guys, roll out of the way!" They all complied as the ivy imagin extends his vines out and swings it around with his sword in his hand. Jaune rolled out of the way and said, "Pyrrha, pin him to the ground!"

"I'm on it!" Pyrrha replied back as she switches Milo into its javelin form. Then as the ivy imagin extends his vines, Pyrrha threw Milo and it stabbed the vine into the ground. The ivy imagin couldn't move his arms as he attempted to uses his other hand, only for it to be pinned down by Jaune's sword.

The ivy imagin roared in pain as Jaune said, "Alright, guys! Hit him with everything you got!" Yang, Blake, Pyrrha, Nora, Mai, and Ren nodded as they charged towards the imagin.

Kintaros, Ruby, and Weiss joined back in the fight and saw everyone attacking the imagin, weakening him. Kintaros moved Weiss and Ruby aside as he pulled out the pass and said **, "Time to finish this."** He places the pass over the belt as it called out.

 **FULL CHARGE**

Lasers entered his axe as Kintaros shouted to everyone **, "Everyone move!"** Everyone responded quickly as Kintaros threw his axe in the air. Kintaros did a wide stance before he jumps up in the air and grabs his axe. As he was falling, he raises his axe, ready to cut him down. Before Kintaros' axe was able to cut him down, the ivy imagin managed to escape by yanking his arms out of the swords. The ivy imagin rolled out of the way, just in time before the axe made contact with the ground and caused an explosion.

The ivy imagin sees Weiss and grins sinisterly. He uses his vines and grabs Weiss as hostage. " **Don't move! Or snow girl here gets a sword in her back!"**

"WEISS!" Ruby shouted as she attempted to go save Weiss, only for Blake to stop her.

"Let her go!" Jaune cried out.

" **I'll let her go, only if the Den-O calls off his imagin!"** The ivy imagin said. Everyone looked at Kintaros as they were wondering what he would do.

'Kintaros, I can take it. Just get out of here.' I said to Kintaros.

" **But Kurokuu-"**

'Kintaros, please. There's no other way without getting Weiss or anyone harmed in the process.' I interrupted. Kintaros grumbled as he jumped out of my body, leaving me in my weaken state from earlier. The ivy imagin lets go of Weiss and said **, "Good, now cry!"** Then the ivy imagin uses his vines and lashes me across the chest.

I shouted in pain and fell back as the ivy imagin charged at me with his sword. Ruby helped Weiss up as Weiss shouted, "Kurokuu, no! Please stop!" The ivy imagin didn't listen as he continues to stab me with his sword. 'I've failed...I've failed everyone and the future. Mai, Kasumi, Weiss, Everyone. I'm sorry.'

I could feel the light slowly overtaking my vision until I heard the ivy imagin cry out **, "Ahhhhh! You bastard!"** I slowly lifted my head up and saw Jaune stabbing his sword into the imagin's back. The ivy imagin stumbles back a bit before he said **, "I'll be back. I'll finish my contract very soon. All I need now is a bigger audience."** And with that he fled the scene, not allowing anyone to catch up to him.

Everyone stood in complete silence until Mai turned to me and shouted, "KUROKUU!" Mai, Team RWBY, and JNPR all huddled around me as Mai said, "Just hold on, We'll get you to the…"

I couldn't hear the rest of her words as the world around me deafens. Slowly, I slip into a state of unconsciousness.

* * *

 _Meanwhile on the Den-Liner, Momotaros frantically paces around while Urataros sat calmly. Kintaros on the other hand, sat tensely, think about what happened._ " _ **Damn it Kurokuu, you idiot! You almost got yourself killed!"**_ _Momotaros said to himself._

 _Urataros sighed and said_ _ **, "Senpai, You can't blame Kurokuu for wanting to save his friends. Especially someone important like Weiss-chan."**_

 _Momotaros sighed sharply and said_ _ **, "You know what Urataros? I think you're right, I shouldn't blame Kurokuu. I should blame Bear Boy over there!"**_ _Momotaros stomps towards Kintaros and shouted_ _ **, "Oi, Bear Boy! Why the hell did you leave Kurokuu behind?!"**_

 _Kintaros grumbled and said_ _ **, "If I didn't, Weiss would've gotten hurt."**_

 _Momotaros didn't look satisfied with Kintaros answer and asked_ _ **, "So what?! That doesn't mean you could still improvise! You could've just thrown the axe at him or tell one of the kids to attack him from behind!**_

 _Kintaros stood up and looked at Momotaros._ " _ **None of that would work if Weiss got hurt in the process! Kurokuu knew the consequences for his actions and chose to save everyone even if it meant him getting hurt!"**_ _Silence filled the air of the Den-Liner after what Kintaros said. He sat back down and clenched fist in anger._ " _ **I'm sorry I wasn't able to save you, Kurokuu."**_ _Kintaros said to himself quietly. The cry of the Den-Liner broke the silence as the train went through the tunnel._

* * *

I slowly open my eyes and realized that I was in the nurse's office again. The morning sunlight shines through the window and into my eyes as I looked at my surroundings. I noticed that my clothes were replaced with a hospital gown. Under the gown, I felt many bandages covering my body and hands. I sighed stressfully and turned my head to see Weiss sleeping right next to me. Weiss had bags under her eyes, indicating that she hadn't had a good night sleep. I looked around and noticed Team R(W)BY, JNPR, and Mai were all sleeping on the floor.

Yang is cuddling with Ruby, Blake is sleeping in a catlike position, Nora is spooning Ren, Pyrrha is resting her head against Jaune's shoulder, and Mai is sleeping against the wall with her bow in her hand. I touched my chest and felt all of the bandages that covered my body. I groaned in pain as I attempted to get up without waking anyone, only to hear Weiss starting to wake up from her slumber.

Weiss slowly lifts her head and notices me trying to get up. "Kurokuu, you're awake! What are you doing?! You are in condition to get up just yet!"

I sighed softly and said, "Hey Snow White, how did you sleep?"

"Don't change the subject on me! Now get back in bed before the wounds open again!" Weiss commanded as she pulled me back to bed. I laid back down as Weiss said, "Good, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit sore is all."

"Okay that's good to hear." Weiss said. An awkward silence filled the air until Weiss said, "Kurokuu, I'm not good at saying this but I'm sorry."

"Sorry? Why?"

"It's just that this is all my fault because I wasn't careful," Weiss started to tear up and said, "If I didn't make that mistake, you wouldn't be here."

Weiss slowly started to softly weep as tears started to run down her face. I comforted Weiss by hugging her and said, "Weiss it isn't your fault. What happened in the battle wasn't your fault."

"Really?"

"Yeah Snow White, it's not your fault." I said calmly. 'It's mine.' I tjought to myself. This seemed to ease Weiss down as she slowly stopped crying.

"Hmmmngh…Weiss? Is that you?" Ruby sits up and saw me hugging Weiss. Weiss and I quickly separated, hoping that Ruby doesn't get the wrong idea. Ruby didn't seemed to notice as she charged at me with a hug and said, "Kurokuu, You're okay! We were all so worried about your condition when the doctors said that your wounds were serious."

I smiled and ruffled Ruby's hair, "Thanks Rubes."

Slowly everyone started to wake up from their slumber. Ren placed his hand on my shoulder as he gives me a cup of tea. "Here Kurokuu, drink this. The herbs should help you."

"Thanks." I said to Ren before taking a sip, only for me to immediately spitting it out because it was hot.

Everyone chuckled at me before settling down. "So how do you feel?" Mai asked.

"Yeah Kurokuu, you took one hell of a beating from that imagin. You're lucky that vomit boy here saved you." Yang said as she wrapped her arm around Jaune's neck.

I had a surprised look on my face when Yang said that Jaune saved me. I looked at Jaune and said, "Thanks Jaune."

"Hey it's no problem. I'm just doing what I can to help a friend. You should thank Pyrrha for helping me fight." Jaune said nervously.

Pyrrha slapped Jaune's back and said, "Jaune, quit being so modest. You were able to create a plan during a tense situation and you're swordsmanship drastically improved."

Jaune looked slightly shocked at what Pyrrha said. He smiled and said, "Thanks Pyrrha." Pyrrha responded by placing her hand on his shoulder, with a smile on her face.

I looked at my bandaged hands and clenched them in anger. 'How can be so weak? If I can't fight off an imagin without any help, then what good am I?!' Weiss seemed to sense what was wrong as she asked, "Kurokuu, are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I lied to Weiss.

I took off the iv tubes in my arm and tried to get up again. But Yang stopped me from getting up as she said, "Woah there Kurokuu, you are in condition to go anywhere. You need some rest."

"What I need right now is to get stronger and find the imagin before he finds me." I said to Yang as I glared at her.

"Kurokuu, you have to rest. Training in the condition you're in will only cause more harm than good." Blake said calmly.

I clenched my hand angrily as I pushed Yang's arm off my shoulder and said, "The imagin is somewhere around here, waiting to get me and finish the contract. I have to become stronger in order to stop him! So just let me go!" This didn't sit well with everyone as Yang and Nora kept me down on the bed while Ren and Jaune were blocking the exit. "Yang! Nora! Let me go! I have to stop the imagin!"

"No way Kurokuu, you can't fight him in your condition! Just rest!" Ruby pleaded.

Knowing that I couldn't escape, I stopped struggling and settled down. As soon as I relaxed, Yang and Nora lets go of me. Everyone had a shocked or worried expression on their face. Weiss, with a worried expression in her face, looked directly at me and said, "Kurokuu...Why are you acting like this? You've been distant with us for the past week. You seem to disappear after class and you come back to our dorms late at night. And now this? Just what is going on with you Kurokuu?!"

I felt a sense of guilt in me for making Weiss or anyone worry about me. I didn't make eye contact with Weiss and said, "I just have to get stronger."

Weiss didn't like the vagueness of my answer as she said, "But why?! You've never acted like this until recently!"

"It's because I'm afraid!" I shouted.

"Afraid of what?!"

"Afraid of failing to protect the future!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. Weiss seemed to cower slightly at the tone of my voice while everyone else simply stayed quiet. "I'm afraid of what will happen in the future if I fail. Ever since Mai said that she was from a destroyed future because of what the imagin did, I knew for sure I didn't want that to happen. But, I realized how weak I really am. For relying on others to fight my battles. And if I can't fight them on my own, then what good am I in keeping the world safe from the imagins?" Everyone including Mai was shocked at what I said. I looked at my bandaged hands and said, "I don't want to lose anyone because I am weak. I...don't want to lose anyone because I'm a failure."

Everyone stayed deadly silent after what I said. Then out of the blue, Ruby simply said, "Nope."

"Nope? What do you mean by that?" I asked Ruby.

"Exactly what it means. Nope. You're not a failure. You are probably the strongest out of all of us."

I'm baffled at what Ruby was saying. "Didn't you hear what I said? I always have Momotaros, Urataros, and Kintaros do my battles when I should've been doing them. It makes me weak."

Ruby was about to say something until Momotaros, Urataros, and Kintaros appeared in front of me. Ruby looked at them and said, "Oh Momotaros, Urataros, Kintaros, why don't help me convince that Kurokuu is not weak and maybe be the strongest one here."

Momotaros rolled his eyes and said **, "Yeah yeah, I'll knock some sense into him. I swear he's getting more edgy every week."** Momotaros appeared on my bed as he said **, "Yo Kurokuu, what am I hearing about you being weak? I didn't teach you to be a wimp now did I?"**

I was confused by what he meant and said, "You...Never taught me anything other than wielding a sword."

Momotaros growled under his breath and said **, "Whatever, I'm teaching you now! Kurokuu, you are in no way of being weak."** I was about to say something until he put his finger against my mouth to shush me up. " **Let me to you why you aren't weak. If you were weak, I would still be out of control and start fighting everyone in this school and take their money. If you were weak, you would've left Turtle Soup here behind in the Sands of Time."**

" **OI!"** Urataros shouted.

Momotaros quickly ignored him and continued **, "If you were weak, you would've let Bear Boy here die."** I look towards Kintaros, who nodded in agreement. " **And lastly, if you were truly that weak. You would've never taken this duty of stopping the imagins to begin with."**

I was completely caught off guard at what Momotaros said. 'I never really thought of it like that. I was just doing what's right, but does that make me strong?' I thought to myself. I looked at everyone who seemed to agree what Momotaros was saying. Mai sighed loudly and said, "Momotaros, that is the most logical thing you have said this entire time we have been working together."

" **Oi! You wanna go?! Let's-"** Momotaros was quickly interrupted by Kintaros, who shut him up by chopping his head in half.

Kintaros disappeared and reappeared on my bed as he said **, "Kurokuu, do you remember what I said about your strength?"** I nodded in response as Kintaros continued **, "I wasn't lying when I said you have lots of strength. But true strength doesn't come from being physically strong. True strength comes from your heart, to do the right things. People who don't have the strength to do the right thing are the weak ones, the cowards. And you are not one of them."**

I let Kintaros' words sink in. 'True strength come from the heart.' I thought to myself. I look towards Kintaros and calmly said, "Kintaros, thank you. For helping me realize my true strength."

Kintaros replied back with a small finger salute. I looked at each person in the room before I turned to Weiss. I looked at Weiss, with some guilt for yelling at her, and said, "Weiss, I'm sorry for worrying you for the past week. And I'm sorry that I wasn't being a good friend recently and-"

"Kurokuu." Weiss interrupted. "I forgive you. We all have our ups and downs. But that's why we have friends to help us get through it. What is it that you say to me every time we have this sort of conversation? 'That's what friends are for?'"

I chuckled softly and said, "Yeah that sounds about right. Never thought that you would use my quote against me."

Weiss and I smiled at each other until Ruby hugged me and said, "Yay! Kurokuu is back to normal!"

Yang put her elbow on my head and said, "Took you long enough. I was hoping you wouldn't go through the edgy phase."

I rolled my eyes at Yang's comment as Blake said, "Kurokuu, it's good to see you feeling better now."

I nodded in response until Mai places her hand on my shoulder and said, "Kurokuu, no matter what happens, you have your friends to help you through this. You'll never have to be alone."

I looked at everyone in the room and smiled. "Yeah, friends." I said to myself. I looked at Momotaros, who was sniffing the air. "Momotaros, what's wrong?" I asked.

" **The imagin is back!"** Momotaros shouted.

"Where?"

" **I don't know."**

We all stayed quiet until we heard someone open the door. At the entrance I saw Cardin, but slightly different. Cardin's appearance slightly changed as his head was combed back and his sclera is black while his iris is orange. That meant one thing, he was possessed by an imagin. The possessed Cardin grinned maliciously and said **, "I said I come back and finish the job."**

Weiss pulled out Myrtenaster and said, "You are not going to hurt Kurokuu."

The possessed Cardin laughed as he said **, "Oh yes, I will."** Suddenly sand came off of him as it formed into the ivy imagin, leaving the unconscious Cardin on the floor. Team RWBY, JNPR, and Mai were ready to retaliate, but the ivy imagin used his vines and whacked everyone away. Pushing Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang and Nora into the wall while knocking Jaune, Pyrrha, Ren, and Mai out of the window.

"REN!" Nora shouted.

"JAUNE!" Ruby shouted.

Momotaros, Urataros, and Kintaros grouped together as Momotaros growled and said **, "Oi! You ain't gonna hurt Kurokuu! Turtle Soup, Bear Boy, CHARGE!"** Momotaros, Urataros, and Kintaros all charged towards the ivy imagin. But the ivy imagin only smirked as he uses his vines and lash at all three of them, causing them to revert into sand.

The ivy imagin possessed Cardin again and walked towards me. He picked me up by the neck and said **, "Now to finish the contract."** The possessed Cardin punched me in the gut several time before punching me in the face. I could feel my vision slowly fading out as the last thing I saw was Cardin's fist making contact with my face.

* * *

 _The possessed Cardin knocked Kurokuu out completely and said_ _ **, "Now to take you to a bigger audience."**_

" _Stop right there imagin!" Ruby shouted. The possessed Cardin turned around and saw Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, and Nora with their weapons out and ready. "Face it, you have nowhere else to go!"_

 _The possessed Cardin laughed manically and said_ _ **, "There is another alternative."**_ _Team RWBY and Nora were trying to understand what the possessed Cardin meant until he grabbed Kurokuu and jumped out of the broken window, falling several stories down._

" _KUROKUU!" Weiss shouted. Weiss looked down against the ledge and saw Pyrrha, Ren, Jaune, and Mai all hanging off the ledge using their weapons._

 _Jaune looked down, which caused him to panic. "Hey Ruby, if you could. Can you please help us up?"_

 _Yang sighed as she walked to the ledge and helped Jaune, Pyrrha, Ren, and Mai everyone settled down, Weiss started to pace around the nurse's office as she said, "What do we do? What do we do? What do we do?!"_

" _Weiss, you have to calm down." Mai said calmly._

" _Calm down? Calm down?! The imagin is close to finishing his contract and he's gonna kill Kurokuu. And we don't even know where he went!" Weiss shouted as she kept on pacing._

 _Blake is keeping maintenance on Gambol Shroud as she said, "Well let's take the clues we already have. Kurokuu mentioned that the imagin needs him in order to finish the contract. And the imagin also mentioned that he needs a 'bigger audience.'"_

 _Yang loaded Ember Celica and said, "What does he mean by bigger audience? The only people here is the...students." Yang's voice slowly fades out as she realizes what the imagin is doing. "The imagin, he's going to hurt Kurokuu publicly for everyone to see!"_

" _Yeah but where could he be? He could be anywhere in the school." Jaune questioned._

 _Just as Jaune said that, Momotaros, Urataros, and Kintaros formed back into their sand forms. They all groaned in pain as Momotaro said_ _ **, "I'll be feeling that for a week."**_

 _Mai looked towards Momotaros and said, "Look who came in the nick of time. Momotaros, can you try to find the imagin?"_

 _Momotaros massaged his back and said_ _ **, "Don't worry, I can find him. Let me just find his scent."**_ _Everyone looked at Momotaros intensely as he sniffed the air. Momotaros stopped sniffing and said_ _ **, "He's at the cafeteria."**_

 _Ruby pulled out Crescent Rose and said, "Alright, time to for us to save the day!" Team RWBY, JNPR, Mai, Momotaros, Urataros, and Kintaros all agreed as they all left the nurse's office and dashed towards the cafeteria. But then Weiss comes back in the room and grabs Kurokuu's battle clothes and runs back out again._

* * *

I slowly returned to conscious state as I heard students murmuring and gasping. I slowly opened my eyes and saw that I was in the cafeteria. I was wondering how I got here until I remembered the possessed Cardin. Since I was on the possessed Cardin's shoulder, I immediately elbowed the possessed Cardin in the temple, causing him to let go of me. The possessed Cardin rolled his neck around and said **, "Could you just make my job easier by not struggling and let me kill you?"**

"You're gonna have to do better than that." I said before going in for a punch. But due to my frail state, my punches and kicks weren't as strong as before. The possessed Cardin simply grabbed me by the neck and choke slammed me into a table. The students were starting to back away, noticing how dangerous the situation is. I tried to get up but the possessed Cardin grabbed me by the hair and pulled me to the floor. The possessed Cardin picks me up and punches me in the face, causing some blood to ooze out of my mouth and nose. The possessed Cardin decided to go in for a right hook and I was able to block the attack and counter him by pushing him back, giving me some distance.

The possessed Cardin and I circled each other, waiting for one of us to make a move. Then the possessed Cardin pulled out his double bladed sword and slashed me across the chest. I yelled in pain as I fell on my knees. The students all gasped in fear at what they saw. Then the cafeteria door opens to reveal to be Professor Port, Professor Oobleck, and Professor Goodwitch running in.

Professor Goodwitch saw the condition I was in before she looked at Cardin. She growled in anger and said, "You monsters will not harm any of our students!" Then she pulled out her riding crop and used her telekinesis to push the possessed Cardin against the wall.

As Professor Goodwitch handled Cardin, Professor Port and Oobleck helped me on my feet. "Mr. Akarui, are you okay?" Professor Port asked.

"Yeah...I'm fine. Just need some time for my aura to heal up." I replied.

"Here take this, it should help you." Professor Oobleck said as he handed me a vial with white pills inside.

I took a pill from the vial and ingested it. I could feel the pain slowly wearing off. "Thanks Professor Oobleck."

"That's Doctor Oobleck. I didn't earn a PhD for fun, you know?" Professor Oobleck said with light-hearted tone.

I turned back to the possessed Cardin as sand started to come off of him. Knowing what will happen, I shouted, "Professor! The imagin is escaping!"

Professor Goodwitch didn't understand what I meant until she got sent flying into the other side of the cafeteria by the ivy imagin. The vines slowly returns back to the ivy imagin as he cracked his knuckles and said **, "Contract complete."** Then he splits Cardin open and jumps into his memories.

I looked towards Professor Oobleck wondering what to do. He looked at me and said, "Kurokuu, go get the imagin before he does any important damages to the future."

I nodded in response as I limped my way to the unconscious Cardin. I placed a ticket near his head which displayed the ivy imagin and the date 8/6/2010. As I slide the ticket in the pass, I heard a group of people entering the cafeteria. I turned around and saw Team RWBY, JNPR, Mai, Momotaros, Urataros, and Kintaros running in.

The first set of eyes that I saw was Weiss as she looked at me with a worried expression on her face. "Kurokuu!" Weiss shouted loudly as she ran towards me. Everyone else caught up with Weiss as she asked, "Kurokuu, what happened to you?!"

"Oh nothing much, I just got a few bruises and a sword slash across my chest. I'll be fine." I said calmly.

Weiss was about to say something until Mai came in and said, "Where's the imagin?" My response was showing her the ticket. Mai growled and said, "Damn it."

I looked at everyone and said, "Well, it's time for me to stop him."

Ruby places her hand on my shoulders and said, "No, it's time for us to stop him." Team RWBY, JNPR, Mai, Momotaros, Urataros, and Kintaros all seemed to agree with her idea as they all readied up.

While they were getting ready, Weiss handed me my clothes and said, "Here, you're clothes."

"Thanks Weiss." I said with a smile. I ripped off the hospital gown, revealing my fit physique to everyone. Everyone had a different reaction. Weiss and Ruby blushed, Blake covered her nosebleed, Yang smiled pervertedly, Mai and Pyrrha simply covered their eyes, Nora was too busy to notice, and Ren and Jaune stayed quiet. As I finished putting on my battle outfit, I turned to Kintaros and said, "Kintaros, shall we?"

" **Yes, we shall Kurokuu-dono."** Kintaros said.

This didn't sit well with Momotaros as he said **, "Oi, why does Bear Boy here get the limelight? Did you forget about me?!"**

I sighed and said, "I promise I'll switch you in okay?"

Momotaros grumbled slightly as Urataros places his hands on his shoulders and said **, "Come on senpai, let Kurokuu do his thing."**

" **Fine, but don't forget about the climax!"** Momotaros shouted as he and Urataros both disappeared.

I pulled the Den-O belt out and connected it around my waist. I clicked the yellow button and it played its calming instrumental tune. "Henshin." I swiped the pass over the belt as it called out.

 **AXE FORM**

As the armor materializes, I felt Kintaros enter my body. Then the yellow armor pieces and faceplate appeared and combined with the armor. All of the students were amazed at the transformation. Kintaros cracked his neck and said **, "My strength will make you cry!"** Then the cry of the Den-Liner roared in the sky as the portal opens for the Den-Liner to enter. All of the students' jaws dropped at the random appearance of a train. Kintaros, Team RWBY, JNPR,and Mai ran towards the Den-Liner and entered inside. Kintaros enters the engine room and sits on the Den-Bird. He places the pass in the bike, setting our destination to the past.

* * *

 _August 6, 2010_

 _A young ten year old Cardin was walking around the streets of Vale, looking_ _for something to do. Then as Cardin kept on walking, he bumped into a group of faunus. Not wanting any trouble, Cardin said, "Sorry, my bad."_

 _The wolf faunus kid goes up close to Cardin and said, "Hey you don't just bump into us and expect us to be okay with it."_

" _Hey, I said I'm sorry." Cardin muttered._

" _That's a load of bull, right boss?" The wolf faunus asked his friend, who is a bear faunus._

 _He cracked his thumbs and said, "Yep, I think we should teach him a lesson for messing with us. Don't you agree?"_

 _The rest of the group seemed to agree as they walked menacingly towards Cardin. Cardin slowly backed away, scared of what will happen next. Then sand came off of him, forming the ivy imagin. The faunus kids freaked out and attempted to escape, only for the imagin to grab the wolf faunus and threw him into a wall. The ivy imagin went rampant throughout the city of Vale as he cuts down cars and people. As the chaos waged on, The man in the brown cloak watched from above. He looked at his stopwatch until a portal opens to reveal the Den-Liner entering this time period. Not wanting to be seen, he immediately flees the scene, leaving no trace of his existence._

* * *

Team RWBY, JNPR, and Mai were running around the streets of Vale, evacuating the civilians out of the area. While they are doing that, Kintaros is running around the city, trying to find the ivy imagin. Kintaros kept on running until he arrived at the abandoned part of the city. Kintaros stands completely still, listening for any sounds. 'Do you hear anything?' I asked.

" **No, it's too quiet. Tell me if you hear something."** Kintaros said quietly.

The eerie silence went on until I heard movement coming from behind. 'Kintaros, behind you!' I warned him. Kintaros immediately rolled out of the way as the ivy imagin's vines pierced through the air, trying to attack Kintaros.

Kintaros got back up and saw the ivy imagin running towards him. Kintaros does an open palm strike, pushing the ivy imagin back. He quickly forms his axe and slashes the ivy imagin continuously until Kintaros did a downward strike. The ivy imagin cringes from the pain as he got back up and charged in with his sword. Kintaros blocks the incoming attack before delivering a punch in the imagin's face. The ivy imagin stumbled back and was ready to charge in again, only for him to be stopped by a bullet piercing through him.

The ivy imagin yelled in pain as he turns around and sees Ruby, pointing Crescent rose at him. Ruby picks up Crescent Rose and said, "Don't forget about us!"

Then Team RWBY, Jaune, and Pyrrha were dashing towards the imagin. Jaune pulls out his sword and said, "Guys, same plan as before. Weiss freeze his feet!"

"Got it!" Weiss responded as she conjured ice using Myrtenaster. The ice encased his feet, keeping the ivy imagin in place.

"Pyrrha, let's do it!" Jaune cried out. Pyrrha nodded in response as they stabbed their swords in the ivy imagin's arms. As Pyrrha and Jaune kept his arms in place, Jaune shouted, "Blake, tie him up!" Blake nodded in response as she tied up the imagin using her weapon. "Yang, nail it!"

Yang grins happily and said, "With pleasure." She cracked her knuckles and ran towards the imagin at full speed. Flames start emitting for Yang's hair as she pulls her fist back. In a flash, Yang punches the imagin in the face. The ivy imagin's body couldn't handle the force as his body was pushed back. Since Jaune's and Pyrrha's sword are still in the imagin's arms, his arms were separated from his body, leaving the ivy imagin in agonzing pain.

" **AAAAAAHHHHH! DAMN YOU!"** The ivy imagin shouted as sand poured from what's left of arms.

Kintaros cracked his neck again and said **, "Come at me."** The ivy imagin growled as he charged towards the imagin. Kintaros throws his axe in the air and kicks the imagin back. Kintaros pulls out the pass and places it over the belt.

 **FULL CHARGE**

Kintaros jumped in the air to grab his axe and slices the imagin in half, causing him to explode. Kintaros looks up and said **, "Dynamic Chop."**

* * *

 _Meanwhile on the Den-Liner, Momotaros' hands are shaking uncontrollably as he watches the fight with Naomi, Urataros, and The Owner. Naomi is in awe and she said, "He did it!"_

" _ **No appearance for me?"**_ _Momotaros complained. He fell on his knees, looking defeated._

 _Urataros places his hands on his shoulders and said_ _ **, "Well, why not? It's the bear's swan song."**_

* * *

Kintaros took a deep breath before he disconnects the belt, causing the armor to dissipate. Suddenly, I felt a jolt of pain coming from my chest. In reflex, I clutched my chest and fell onto my knees. I slowly let go of my chest as I noticed blood seeping through my clothes and onto my hands. Then I heard Weiss cry out, "KUROKUU!"

I slowly got back up on my knees and stumbled towards them. Weiss and Ruby rushed towards me and caught me in time before I fell again. "Thanks…" I said.

Ruby looked shocked as she saw my blood on her hands. "Kurokuu, why are you bleeding?! I thought your aura healed it!"

"Let me see." Blake said calmly. Ruby and Weiss set me down and let Blake analyzed me. She looks at my wound and her scroll constantly until Blake said, "According to my observation, the wound Kurokuu sustained is too major for his aura to heal. As well as the fact that his aura is still low from healing the wounds he sustained yesterday. Aura can only heal minor wounds like a small cut or bruises. This might take several hours or not at all if we have no medicine to treat the wound."

"So what do we do?! We don't have any medicine that could help his wound!" Ruby asked. Just then, Nora, Ren, and Mai returned. Ruby turned around and said, "Guys, what took you so long?!"

"Sorry. While we were evacuating the people in the area, some beowolves and ursas came and we had to fend them off." Mai said calmly. Mai looked at me and saw the condition I was in. She rushed towards me and said, "Kurokuu, what happened?!"

"The flesh wound reopened and now I'm bleeding." I said.

Mai helps me up and said, "Come on everyone, let's go back to the Den-Liner. We have medicine and tools to help close that wound up."

"Alright...Sounds great." I started to feel lightheaded and noticed that my vision was tunneling. 'Damn, I'm losing too much blood.' That was my last thought until I was completely knocked out.

* * *

I slowly open my eyes once again as I realized that I am in the Den-Liner. I slowly sat up and felt the bandages under my shirt. I noticed that I was the only one in the dining car and all of the lights were off. I slowly got up and was about to walk towards the lightswitch, only for the door to open to reveal Weiss holding some medical supplies. I jumped at the sight of her and said, "Geez Weiss, you scared me!"

"Sorry I didn't mean to. And what are you doing up? Your wound might open up again, so sit down." Weiss said calmly as she led me back to my seat.

I sat back down with Weiss sitting across from me. "So where's everyone else?" I asked.

"Everyone else moved to the other dining car since they didn't want to wake you up. More along the lines of making sure Momotaros didn't wake you up." We both chuckled for a bit until she said, "Well, I need to change your bandages right now."

"Oh okay." I said. I took off my shirt which caused Weiss to blush a bit. Weiss took some scissors and cut off the old, bloody bandages and replaced them with new ones.

"There, all done." Weiss said without making eye contact.

"Thanks Weiss."

Weiss was about to leave until she stopped at the door and said, "Kurokuu, I want you to make a promise for me."

"What's that?"

Weiss took a deep breath and said, "Next time, if you feel like you're alone. Please, talk to me or your team. We're all going to be there for you."

I thought about it for a bit until I said, "Yeah, it's a promise."

"Good, now get some sleep. We might stay here for a while." Weiss said as she walked out the door. I laid on the bench and thought about what happened during the past two days. As I was dozing off, I felt a sudden pain coming from my chest. I sat back up and touched my chest. 'Strange, why does this pain feel different?' I thought to myself. I simply disregarded it as I laid back down and closed my eyes.

* * *

 _Meanwhile at Atlas Academy, a man is sitting on his chair, watching a video of the imagin attack at Beacon that has been posted around the web. The man has a pale complexion and has black hair with gray sides. The man is wearing a white overcoat, with a gray undercoat, black sweater, a red necktie, and a white glove on his right hand. His suit pants share the same color as his overcoat and are tucked into silver boots accented in gray. "Fascinating." The man said quietly to himself. A knock comes from the door as the man said, "Come in."_

 _The door opened to reveal a woman with a fair complexion, white hair, and slate blue eyes. Her hair is tied up in a bun at the rear left of her head, causing her bangs to fall towards the right side of her face. Also leaving a small curl lock of hair that reaches below her left ear. She is wearing a white coat with a red brooch, exposed upper arms and black gloves. Her pants have garters incorporated into them. "General Ironwood, I would like to remind you that you having a meeting coming up in four weeks."_

 _The man, now named Ironwood, sets his scroll down and said, "Thank you Winter. You may got now." The woman, now known as Winter, nods in response and leaves Ironwood by his lonesome. He looks at the video once more and said to himself, "What do you know about this, Ozpin?"_


	8. Chapter 8: I Can't Hear You!

(A/N:)Hello! Welcome back to the Volume one final of Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time. And boy, this chapter took a while to write. As always, leave a review on what you thought about it and enjoy!

I do not I own the rights to the series RWBY or Kamen Rider. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth Productions and The Kamen Rider Series is owned by Toei Company

"Normal Speech"

'Thoughts/Inner communication between OC and imagin'

 _"Third Person/Flashback"_

 **"Imagin speech"**

* * *

The bell rings once again as Professor Oobleck said, "Alright, class dismissed! Remember! Your homework assignment is to write a report on the creation of dust!" No one seemed to listen as they all dashed out of the classroom. I finished packing up my notes and supplies as I walked out of the classroom, with Team RWBY, JNPR, and Mai waiting on the other side.

Yang stretched her arms in the air and yawned. "Finally it's over! Being in Oobleck's class really takes a lot out of ya'." Yang said.

"Yeah, I think my hands are starting to cramping up." Jaune complained as he massages his hands.

"Oh don't be such a baby, Arc. Imagine trying to file all of his messy papers, then tell me which is worse." Mai countered.

Nora rubbed her face stressfully as she said, "And not just that, he's soooooooooo booooooooooooring!"

"Nora, you say that with every class we have except Professor Goodwitch." Ren said.

"Yeah but in her class, I get to kick butt and break legs!"

Ruby walks in front of everyone as she said, "Well on the bright side, just one more day and we'll be on break! Two weeks of doing whatever we want! And I say as team leader and friend, that we should all go and do some awesome stuff! I have everything planned out since yesterday!" With that said, she pulls out a huge binder that has the words "Property of Weiss Schnee" which is crossed out in marker and replaced with the words "AWESOME TWO WEEK BREAK ACTIVITY!"

Weiss looks at Ruby's binder and notices that it's hers. "Hey, is that my-?"

"I'm not a crook." Ruby said simply as she moved away from Weiss. She opens up her binder and said, "Let's see...Going to an amusement park, take a tour at STAR Labs. Ooooh, how about we all go to the beach?!"

"That sounds lovely. It's a great opportunity to get to know each other better." Pyrrha said with a gleeful smile in her face.

"Pyrrha's right. And besides we should have some fun after being stuck here for hours on end." I said.

"Yeah!" Ruby, Yang, and Nora shouted as they raised their fist in the air.

I was about to say something until I felt Urataros enter my body. Everyone turned and noticed the change in appearance as Urataros readjusts his glasses and said **, "Well doesn't that sound swell? Well while you guys go back to your dorms, I'm gonna go on date real quick."**

"Urataros, what are you doing?! Go back to the Den-Liner!" Mai shouted as she grabbed Urataros by the collar of the school uniform.

Urataros chuckled for a bit and said **, "Hey there's no wrong in going out. I'm not like senpai who starts a fight wherever he goes."**

Mai was about to say something until Weiss grabbed Urataros by the ear and said, "Urataros, get out of Kurokuu right now!"

" **OW! OW! OW! Weiss are you jealous?"** Urataros retorted. Weiss made no eye contact with him as she lets go of his ear. Urataros massages his ear and pulled out my scroll. " **Good. Now who should I go with? Velvet? Coco? Maybe Anna?**

Everyone sighed at Urataros since it was expected except Weiss, who shook her fists in anger as she looked at Urataros' smug face. Suddenly I felt Momotaros take over, kicking Urataros out. " **Stupid perverted turtle! You thought you can escape?! Guess again!"**

Then I felt Urataros take over again and said **, "Senpai, can you just let me go out for one day? These girls will be awfully lonely without me."**

Momotaros took over again and said **, "Like hell you think I let you leave! I rarely get to go out ever since we got here!"** I started to feel the painful effects of Momotaros and Urataros' constant possession to regain control over my body..

It felt like I was carrying buildings on my shoulders and it was slowly crushing me. I attempted to regain control, only for Kintaros to jump in my body, making the situation worse. Kintaros cracked his neck and said **, "Both of your reasons of leaving the Den-Liner is not as important as mine! I need to stay in tip top shape to keep my body in good condition. And Kurokuu-dono can benefit from my training!"**

I started to feel even weaker as Momotaros popped back in and said **, "OI BEAR BOY, JUST GO BACK TO SLEEP!"** Then Momotaros got kicked out once again as Momotaros, Urataros, and Kintaros attempted to regain control of my body. I couldn't control them anymore as I slowly lost my consciousness and blacked out completely.

* * *

 _Team RWBY, JNPR, and Mai doesn't know what to do as they saw Kurokuu's appearance changing over and over again when Momotaros, Urataros, and Kintaros attempted to regain control. As they were fighting, a purple aura surrounds Kurokuu before all of the imagins were forcibly kicked out of Kurokuu's body, leaving his body to fall on the floor._ _Team RWBY and JNPR surrounded Kurokuu as Weiss shouted, "Kurokuu! Are you okay?! Please wake up!"_

 _Mai analyzed Kurokuu and said, "He'll be fine. He just needs some rest. You guys bring him to bed, I'm gonna have a talk with the imagins about this." Team RWBY all nodded as Yang lifted Kurokuu over her shoulders and carried him to his dorms. As they left, Mai walked towards a random door and said, "Stupid imagins. Can't seem to let Kurokuu have a break can they?!"_

 _Then she opens the door and enters the Sands of Time before closing the door behind her._

* * *

 **Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time**

 **Chapter 8: I can't hear you!**

* * *

I slowly open my eyes and noticed that I am in my team's dorm. I sat back up and rubbed my eyes and saw that everyone else is already asleep. 'How long did I sleep?' I thought to myself as I walked towards the closet to grab my sleepwear and walked towards the bathroom. I turned the lights in and set my clothes down before taking off my school unifrom. Then I walked into the showers and turned in the hot water. I could feel the stress slowly leaving my body as I scrubbed my hair with soap and water.

After a while, I stepped out of the showers and dried myself off with a towel. I wrapped the towel around me as I turned in on the sink faucet . I grabbed my toothbrush and started to brush my teeth. As I brushed my teeth, I stared at myself and saw the scar that the ivy imagin gave me last week. My aura wasn't able to heal it completely, leaving a huge scar across my chest. I spat the toothpaste out and washed my mouth with water before I rinsed my face. As I stared at myself in the mirror, I noticed my eyes briefly change from dark brown to purple. I gasped loudly in fear as I stumbled back and fell on the ground.

I breathe erratically until I heard a knock on the door. "Kurokuu? Are you in there?" I heard Weiss ask.

"Yeah, I'm in here." I replied back as I turned off the faucet.

"Are you okay? I heard you fall on there."

"Yeah I'm fine. Just slip on some water." I lied. I quickly changed into my sleeping attire and grabbed my school uniform before turning off the lights and leaving the bathroom.

Weiss is standing outside in the bathroom in her nightgown. "Hey." Weiss said quietly.

"Hey, sorry if I woke you up. I didn't mean to." I apologized.

"No it's fine. I wasn't really able to sleep." I walked towards the bin for dirty clothes and dumped my uniform in. I walked towards my bed and sat down as Weiss walked to her bottom bunk bed. She looked at me and asked, "Kurokuu, how are you feeling? Your imagin possessed you all at once so I can't imagine how much strain that put in your body."

"I'm fine Weiss, you can stop worrying. I just need some rest." I said calmly, trying to reassure Weiss.

Weiss sighed with relief and said, "That's good to hear. By the way, tomorrow after class, we are gonna spend some quality time as a team and explore around Vale."

"Oh that sounds great. It sure beats staying in here and studying."

"Yeah, anyways good night Kurokuu." Weiss said as she laid on her bed.

"Night Weiss." I said back as I laid on my bed. As I attempt to go to sleep, I started to think about what just happened in the bathroom. 'What was that? Why did my eye color changed for no reason?' The more I thought about it, I slowly realize that I'm not getting any answers soon. So I gave up and succumbed to the slumber

* * *

 _On the Den-Liner, Mai bunched Momotaros, Urataros, and Kintaros all on one bench as she stabs an arrow in the table, causing them to jump slightly. "For goodness sake, what do you all think you were doing, fighting over Kurokuu's body like that! And because of that he passed out! What do you have to say for yourselves?!" Mai asked as she stared intently into their eyes._

 _Momotaros and Kintaros started to scratched their heads nervously while Urataros seemed to be in deep thought. Momotaros and Kintaros started to slap each other until Kintaros slapped Momotaros in the back, causing him to give in. Momotaros cleared his throat and nervously said_ _ **, "Umm… We're all very cramped in this train, and we really wanted to leave."**_

 _Mai groaned as she punched Momotaros in the nose. Momotaros recoils back as he rubs him nose in pain. "Listen up! If I see or hear you possessing Kurokuu out of battle again, you'll become my new target practice. Got it?!"_

" _ **Yes ma'am."**_ _The imagins replied as they sunk their heads down low._

 _Mai set her bow down as she walks to her table and sat back down. Naomi walked up to her with a cup of coffee and said, "Here Mai, this should help soothe you." Mai nodded politely at Naomi as she glared back at the imagins. Kintaros fell asleep and laid on top of Momotaros, allowing Urataros to slip out._

" _ **Damn bear. How heavy are you?!"**_ _Momotaros whispered loudly as he pushed Kintaros' head away from him._

 _As Mai took a sip from her coffee, Urataros walks to her seat and sat across from her. "What do you want?" She asked._

 _Mai noticed that Urataros is in deep thought as he said_ _ **, "Mai, did you noticed something when Senpai, Kin-chan, and I jumped in at the same time?"**_

" _Other than Kurokuu changing appearance over and over, I did see something unnatural."_

" _ **And that is?"**_

 _Mai contemplated about what she saw. Mai took another sip and said, "A purple aura."_

" _ **So what does that mean?"**_ _Urataros asked curiously._

 _Mai set her cup down and said, "I don't know. But I know one thing, it could be something very dangerous." Mai then reached into her pocket and pulled out a scroll. She gave the scroll to Urataros and said, "Here if anything happens to Kurokuu, call me. Remember, only for emergencies."_

" _ **Right, right, I got it."**_ _Urataros said as he turned on the scroll._

* * *

 _Meanwhile at an abandon warehouse, Roman Torchwick is seen counting the crates of dust crystals that his imagin has stolen for the past several weeks. As he was counting, the bat imagin came back in with two more crates of dust. Roman grabbed a crowbar and pried it open, revealing the contents inside. Roman smirked and said, "Good work, I'm surprised that you managed to steal all of this and not get caught. You know for being a giant bat and all."_

" _ **These humans and faunus are weak. They can't even handle simple creatures like the Grimm."**_ _The bat imagin said as he loitered against the wall._

" _I don't know about that. That Den-O guy kicked your ass real good before you flew off." Roman said as he checked off the list on his clipboard. The bat imagin was ready to attack before Roman stopped him and said, "Relax, it was just a joke. Geez, you imagins can be so uptight sometimes." The bat imagin calmed down as he sat back down on one of the crates. Roman checks the time and said, "Now my contractor said that in two days, a big Schnee Company Freighter will come and offload some dust shipments. And I say that you and me, go to the docks, and steal the all of the dust before sending them off to our contractor. What do you say?"_

" _ **As long I finish your contract, I'll be more than willing to assist you. But since you're implied that the cargo is huge, I don't think two people will clear an entire ship."**_ _The bat imagin said as he analyzes a dust crystal._

" _Don't worry, my contractor is partnered us with the White Fang and they'll be more than willing to help." Roman said as he lights up a cigar. "And at this rate, nothing will stop us." Roman said menacingly before he exhales all of the smoke in his lungs._

* * *

 _May 19, 2017 12:31 PM_

It is a bright day in the city of Vale as people were setting up the decorations for the Vytal Festival coming up soon. Weiss is in awe as she saw the sign that read "WELCOME TO VALE!" Weiss raises her hands up in excitement and said, "The Vytal Festival! Oh this is absolutely wonderful!"

"I don't think I've ever seen you smile this much, Weiss. It's kinda weirding me out" Ruby commented with a slight frown on her face.

I tried to calm Weiss down and said, "Weiss, it's just a festival. It happens almost every year."

Weiss looks at me and Ruby as if we were insane and said, "Just a festival? This is a festival that is dedicated to the cultures of the world! There will be dances! Parades! A tournament! Oh, the amount of planning and organization that goes into this event is simply breathtaking!"

Yang crosses her arms and sighs before she said, "You really know how to take a good thing and make it sound boring."

"Quiet you!" Weiss scolded at Yang.

Weiss lead us towards the docks as we see a ship coming in. The scent of fish covered the air as Yang asked, "Remind me again why we're spending our Friday afternoon visiting the stupid docks?"

Ruby pinches her nose as she said, "Ugh, they smell like fish!"

"I've heard that students visiting from Vacuo will be arriving by ship today. And, as a representative of Beacon, I feel as though it is my solemn duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom!" Weiss responded.

I raised my eyebrow at Weiss' remark as I asked, "Really?"

As Weiss walks away, Blake said, "She wants to spy on them so she'll have the upper hand in the tournament."

Weiss scoffs at this and said, "You can't prove that!"

"Whoa." We all turned around and saw Ruby looking at a destroyed dust shop. There were two officers analyzing the scene as Ruby asked, "What happened here?"

"Robbery. Second Dust shop to be hit this week. This place is turning into a jungle." The first officer said as he walks towards his partner.

"That's terrible." Yang said.

"They left all the money again." The second officer said.

"Huh?" Ruby said as she turns around to look at the officers.

"Yeah, just doesn't make a lick of sense. Who needs that much Dust?" The first officer asked.

"I don't know, an army?" The second officer answered.

"You thinking the White Fang?"

"It's that or that monster that's been rumored around Vale. People said they saw some monster stealing dust." The second officer said.

The first officer groans as he said, "Okay, now I know we aren't getting paid enough."

"Hmph! The White Fang. What an awful bunch of degenerates!" Weiss said as she crossed her arms.

Blake turned to Weiss and asked, "What's your problem?"

"My problem? I simply don't care for the criminally insane."

"The White Fang is hardly a bunch of psychopaths. They're a collection of misguided Faunus."

Weiss looked at Blake as if she was insane and said, "Misguided? They want to wipe Humanity off the face of the planet!"

"So then they're very misguided. Either way, it doesn't explain why they would rob a Dust shop in the middle of downtown Vale!"

"Hmm... Blake's got a point. Besides, the police never caught that Torchwick guy I ran into a few months ago... Maybe it was him." Ruby suggested.

"That still doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum. Those Faunus only know how to lie, cheat, and steal." Weiss said.

I could see Blake slowly getting anger, so I grabbed her shoulder and said, "Blake-"

"Hey, stop that faunus!" A voice interrupted me. We turned to the source of the sound and saw two sailors chasing a monkey faunus across the deck of the ship. The monkey faunus had a tan complexion with dark gray eyes and short spiked-up, blond hair. He's wearing two red wrist bracers over black fingerless gloves and loose-collared white shirt with no shirt under, showing off his muscular physique. He also wears blue cargo pants tied up with a white belt. He wears white bandages on his legs and has a chain hanging from the belt loop on the right side of his sports black and yellow sneakers and wears a twisted golden necklace around his neck with a round pendant bearing his monkey emblem.

The monkey faunus ran across the deck until he hopped onto the railings. He looks at the sailors and said , "Thanks for the ride, guys! Haha!"

"You no-good stowaway!" One of the sailors shouted.

The monkey faunus is hanging on a lamp post with his tail while peeling a banana. "Hey! A no-good stowaway would've been caught! I'm a great stowaway!" The monkey faunus said to the sailors. He was about to eat the banana until one of the officers from earlier came and threw a rock at him, but the faunus immediately dodges it.

"Hey! Get down from there this instant!" The first officer commanded.

The monkey faunus replied back by throwing a banana peel in his face. The faunus uses his tail to lift himself up on the lamp post and laughs at them before jumping off and making his escape. The monkey faunus ran past us with the two officers following him from behind.

We all watched the monkey faunus moving farther away from us until Yang said, "Well, Weiss, you wanted to see the competition, and there it goes..."

Weiss holds her finger up and said, "Quick! We have to observe him!"

Weiss, Yang, and Ruby quickly dashed off, leaving me and Blake behind. "Hey!" I shouted.

"Face it Kurokuu, we might as well follow them." Blake said.

Blake was about to follow them until I called out, "Blake, wait. I need to talk to you about something."

Blake turns to me as she asked, "Yeah?"

"I'm just wondering, when will you tell them about who you are?"

Blake sighed as she turned around and said, "Never. They don't need to know about any of this."

"Yes they do. For all we know, Ruby, Weiss, and Yang will probably find out about your secret sooner or later. So I'm suggesting you tell them soon so they don't find out under bad circumstances."

"Yeah but...Weiss. I don't know about her. Have you seen her company's views on Faunus?"

"She might understand if you talk it out with her. It'll take time but she'll come around."

Blake thinks about it and said, "Okay, I'll think about it."

"Alright sounds good. Now let's go before they get suspicious." I said to Blake as we ran in the direction where Ruby, Weiss, and Yang are.

Blake and I turned around the corner and saw Weiss bumping into a ginger-haired girl. We look up and saw the monkey faunus jumping up onto a building and escaping. "No, he got away!" Weiss exclaimed.

"Uhh...Weiss?" Yang said as she pointed at the girl that Weiss is on top of.

Weiss turns to the ginger-haired girl and got up hastily as the ginger-haired girl said, "Sal-u-ta-tions!"

"Um...Hello." Ruby said awkwardly.

"Are you... okay?" Yang asked.

"I'm wonderful! Thank you for asking!" The ginger girl said, unaware that she is still on the floor.

"Do you...wanna get up?"

The ginger girl pauses for a moment as she said, "Yes!" She hops back up to her feet and said, "My name is Penny! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Hi Penny. I'm Ruby."

"I'm Weiss."

"Blake."

"Did you hit your head?" Yang asked before Blake nudges her in the side. "Oh I'm Yang."

"And I'm Kurokuu."

"It's a pleasure to meet you!" The ginger girl, now named Penny, said.

"Didn't you already say that?" I pointed out.

Penny pauses again and said, "So I did."

"Well, sorry for running into you!" Weiss said as we all turn around and walk away.

"Take care, friend!" Ruby said with a small wave.

As we were walking, Yang said, "She was...Weird."

Weiss just ignored Yang and said, "Now. Where did that faunus riff-raff run off to?"

"Weiss, I don't think finding the monkey faunus guy is a huge priority." I said as I checked my scroll. I didn't look where I was going and I bumped into someone. I looked up and saw Penny, magically in front of me.

I jumped slightly as Penny asked, "What did you call me?"

Weiss started to point at Yang as she said, "Oh, I'm really sorry, I definitely didn't think you heard me!"

"No, not you." Penny said as she walked through us and stopped in front of Ruby. "You!"

Ruby didn't know how to respond as the only words that came out of her mouth was, "Me? I-I don't know. I, what I, um, uh..."

"You called me 'friend'! Am I really your friend?" Penny asked.

"Uuuuum…" Ruby looked towards us, wanting us to give her a suggestion. I gave her a thumbs up, signaling her that she should say yes. While everyone else is motioning her to say no. "Y-Yeah, sure! Why not?" Ruby said to Penny.

Weiss, Blake, and Yang all fainted except me since I didn't mind. Hey? What's wrong with having more friends? Penny looks extremely overjoyed as she said, "Sen-sational! We can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys!"

Ruby sighed as she said, "Good thing that wasn't us when we met."

Weiss got up and said, "You can thank Kurokuu for that."

Yang joined in on the conversation as she asked, "So... what are you doing in Vale?"

"I'm here to fight in the tournament." Penny replied.

"Wait, you're fighting in the tournament?" Weiss asked.

Penny did a small salute and said, "I'm combat ready!"

"Forgive me, but you hardly look the part."

"Says the girl wearing a dress." Blake commented.

Weiss crosses her arms and said, "It's a combat skirt!"

Ruby speeds towards Weiss and said, "Yeah!" Weiss holds out her hands and Ruby low-fives it.

I chuckled at what Weiss and Ruby said until Weiss said, "Wait a minute." She walks towards Penny and grabs her by the shoulders as she asked, "If you're here for the tournament, does that mean you know that monkey-tailed... rapscallion?"

"The who...?" Penny asked.

Weiss pulled out a poorly-drawn picture of the faunus as she said, "The filthy Faunus from the boat!"

"Why do you keep saying that?!" Blake asked angrily. Weiss made a sound of confusion as she turned around to Blake. Blake stomped towards Weiss and said, "Stop calling him a rapscallion! Stop calling him a degenerate! He's a person!"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Weiss release Penny as she motions to random objects around us. "Would you like me to stop referring to the trash can as a trash can? Or this lamppost as a lamppost?"

"Stop it!"

"Stop what? He clearly broke the law. Give him time; he'll probably join up with those other Faunus in the White Fang!"

Blake growls as she said, "You ignorant little brat!"

Weiss looked offended, but when Blake walks away, she follows. "How dare you talk to me like that! I am your teammate!"

"You are a judgmental little girl."

"What in the world makes you say that?"

"The mere fact that you would sort that Faunus boy with a terrorist group solely based on his species makes you just as much of a scoundrel as you believe him to be!"

Yang slides up to me and Ruby and said, "Um, I think we should probably go..."

Penny pops up from behind and asked, "Where are we going?"

"So you admit it! The White Fang _is_ just a radical group of terrorists!" Weiss shouted.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it!" Blake replied.

* * *

The argument went on until we were all back in our dorm rooms. I could hear the students' complaints coming from the other dorms as the argument became more heated.

"I don't understand why this is causing such a problem!" Weiss said to Blake, who is sitting across the room.

"That is the problem!" Blake said to Weiss.

Wanting to end this conflict, I walked towards Weiss and Blake and said, "Weiss, Blake, can we please stop fighting?"

Weiss looks at me and said, "No Kurokuu, I'm not gonna accept that fact that Blake is defending an organization that hates humanity. The faunus of the White Fang is pure evil!"

Blake growls even more as she shouts to Weiss, "There's no such thing as pure evil! Why do you think they hate Humanity so much? It's because of people like Cardin, people like you, that force the White Fang to take such drastic measures!"

"People like me?"

"You're discriminatory!"

"I'm a victim!" Weiss shouted, which silence everyone.

I reached my hand out to Weiss and pleaded, "Weiss-"

"No Kurokuu, just stop." Weiss interrupted me as she swatted my hand away. She slowly walked towards bookshelf as she said, "You want to know why I despise the White Fang? Why I don't particularly trust the Faunus? It's because they've been at war with my family for years. War, as in actual bloodshed. My grandfather's company has had a target painted across its back for as long as I can remember. And ever since I was a child, I've watched family friends disappear; board members executed; an entire train car full of Dust, stolen. My own mother, publicly executed in front of my own eyes. And every day, my father would come home, furious. And that made for a very difficult childhood." Weiss slammed her fist on the shelf in frustration.

We all stayed quiet except for Ruby, who tried to comfort her by saying, "Weiss, I-"

"No!" Weiss interrupted again as she turned to Blake. "You want to know why I despise the White Fang? It's because they're a bunch of liars, thieves, and murderers!"

"Well maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!" Blake screamed. Silence filled the air as Blake realized she let the secret slip out.

Weiss backs away slowly as I got closer to her and said, "Blake. We can talk about this."

"I...I…" Blake didn't say anything else as she turns to the door and runs out.

"Blake, wait! Come back!" Ruby calls out to her as she runs over to the door. Yang slowly sits herself down while Weiss is trying to process the information.

I dashed to the window and saw a glimpse of Blake running to the statute in the main avenue. I look to everyone and said, "I'll go get Blake. Wait here."

Ruby, Yang, and Weiss didn't respond so I jumped out the window. "Kurokuu!" I heard Weiss calling out as I landed on the ground. The aura protected my legs as it left an impact on the ground. I stretched my legs out and sprinted at full speed towards the main avenue. I stopped once I saw Blake standing there with her bow off, revealing her cat ears.

I slowly approached her and said, "Blake."

Blake turned around and saw me as she said, "What is it?"

"Blake, you have to come back. We can talk this out-"

"I can't. Not right now."

"Blake, running away from your problems isn't gonna fix anything. You have friends in there that are confused because you're leaving them out to dry." Blake stayed silent as I said, "Just come back, I'm sure Ruby, Yang, and Weiss can understand who you are if you explain this to them."

Blake ponders for a bit until she said, "Like I said before, I'll tell them soon. But there's been something that's been bothering me."

I was wondering what she meant until I thought about the robberies. "Are you talking about the dust robberies?"

"Yeah, it's just that it doesn't make sense why the White Fang would steal this much dust before. And I just need some time in order to find some answers." Blake said.

I sighed and said, "Alright, I'll let you go. But promise me, you will come back and tell them."

"Yes, I promise I'll tell Ruby and the others."

"Good. Keep in touch if anything happens, okay?" Blake nodded as I walked off in the other direction, back to the dorms.

* * *

I returned back to the dorms and saw that everyone is still in shock for the news. Ruby sat up from her bed and asked, "Blake...Did you find her?"

"No, I wasn't able to catch up to her in time." I lied.

Ruby looked completely crestfallen as she laid back down on her bed. Weiss, on the other hand, looked furious as she said, "A White Fang under our noses. Did any of you guys know about this?"

Yang and Ruby didn't answer except me, "I did."

Weiss looked shocked at what I said as she asked, "Why? Why didn't you tell any of us?!"

"Because it's not my secret to tell, Weiss! Just because Blake is an ex-White Fang member, that doesn't mean she is evil! We can't jump to conclusions when we haven't heard of Blake's side of the story."

Silence filled the room until Weiss asked, "Why are you defending her?"

"Blake is our friend. And friends don't abandon each other because of who they are." I answered.

Silence filled the room once again as Weiss and I stared down at each other. Yang got in between us and said, "Guys, it's been a long day. Let's just all relax and find Blake tomorrow."

Weiss and I agreed as we walked our separate ways. Weiss grabbed her nightgown and hit the showers while I took off my gear and laid down on my bed. As I laid down on my bed, I thought about what Blake is doing. 'Blake, I hope you know what you're doing.'

* * *

 _Meanwhile on the Den-Liner, Momotaros and Kintaros are sleeping loudly, which caused Urataros not being able to sleep. Urataros groans as he said_ _ **, "I can't believe I'm stuck here with two loud-mouths."**_ _The snoring from Kintaros becomes increasingly louder as Urataros slowly starts to lose his mind. Urataros growls silently as he gets up and walks to the counter. Urataros grabs a carton of milk and cup from the counter and pours himself a glass. As he drinks his glass of milk, a yellow orbs suddenly appears from thin air._ " _ **What the…?"**_ _Urataros said to himself._

 _The yellow orb started to glow purple as the orb released sand all over the floor. Urataros stood in place as the sand slowly formed together into an dragon imagin. The dragon imagin's body is purple with orange eyes and has a small ponytail. He is wearing headphones and a purple armor with a trench coat underneath._

 _Urataros summoned his rod as he asked_ _ **, "So, may I ask who you are?"**_

 _The dragon imagin twirls around and said playfully_ _ **, "I don't have a name. But, you can call me Ryutaros!"**_

" _ **Okay Ryuta, may I ask how and why you're here?"**_

 _The dragon imagin, now named Ryutaros, ponders for a bit and said_ _ **, "For how I got here, I possessed him. And for why I'm here, I have to beat Kurokuu."**_

 _Urataros chuckles and said_ _ **, "You know if the contract holder dies, we all die. Unless...I stop you."**_ _With that, Urataros tosses his rod at Ryutaros. But Ryutaros quickly reacted by moving to the side, which caused the rod to hit Momotaros instead._

 _Momotaros got up and yelled_ _ **, "OI TURTLE BOY, THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!"**_

" _ **Sorry Senpai, I can't help that your head is a rod magnet,"**_ _Momotaros growls at Urataros until he continued_ _ **, "Anyways, we got an imagin on board! Stop him!"**_

 _Momotaros chuckled as he summons his sword and said_ _ **, "Finally some action! IKUZE! IKUZE! IKUZE!"**_ _Momotaros charged straight into Ryutaros with an overhead strike, but Ryutaros moves out of the way and kicks Momotaros in the back, causing him to fall into Urataros._

" _ **Yay! That was fun, but I need to get out of here."**_ _Ryutaros said before being grabbed by the neck by Kintaros._

" _ **You're not going anywhere."**_ _Kintaros said as he throws Ryutaros across the dining car. Ryutaros quickly gets up as Momotaros, Urataros, and Kintaros group up with each other._

 _Momotaros picks up his sword and asked_ _ **, "Oi, oi, how did this brat get in here?!"**_

" _ **He possessed Kurokuu without us knowing somehow. That doesn't matter right now because we need to stop him."**_ _Urataros said as he pointed his rod at Ryutaros._

 _Kintaros summons his axe as he said_ _ **, "Don't worry, I can handle him."**_ _Kintaros makes his way towards Ryutaros as he lifts his axe and chops downwards. Ryutaros snickered as he dodges out of the way, causing the axe to be stuck in the floor. Kintaros grumbles as he attempts to pull out his axe. Then Ryutaros summons a shotgun as he points the barrel point-blank at Kintaros' chest. Ryutaros and Kintaros made stared at each other until Ryutaros fired the gun, send Kintaros flying back into Momotaros and Urataros._

 _Momotaros and Urataros attempted to push Kintaros off of them, but couldn't because of his weight. Ryutaros prances around them as he said_ _ **, "Ha, Ha! You guys got your butt beat by me!"**_

 _Momotaros didn't take this kindly as he shouted_ _ **, "YOU BRAT! JUST WAIT UNTIL I GET OUT OF HERE AND KICK YOU ASS!"**_

 _Ryutaros rolled his eyes as he said_ _ **, "Nah, I don't want to risk breaking your back."**_

 _Momotaros' eye twitched as he shouted_ _ **, "OI! I'M NO OLD MAN!"**_

 _Ryutaros laughs as he skips away from them._ " _ **Well I've made my grand entrance, but it's time for me to get out of here!"**_ _Ryutaros said cheerfully before becoming translucent and disappearing in thin air._

 _Urataros slowly pulls out the scroll Mai gave him and calls her number. Mai picked up as Urataros said_ _ **, "Mai, we have a problem."**_

* * *

I shot open my eyes as I felt a jolt of pain in my chest. I breathed heavily as I waited for the pain to subside, but it got worse. I fell off my bed, but quickly recovered as I stumbled towards the bathroom. I turned in the lights and saw the sweat covering my face. "Guys...What's going on in there?" I asked the imagins.

I heard no response until I heard someone ask **, 'Can I take you over?'**

The pain increased as I clenched my chest and fell on the ground. "Who...Who is this? What did you do to my friends?" I asked the voice in my head.

The only reply I got from the voice in my head is **, 'I can't hear you!'** Then I felt fatigue as I slowly slip into unconsciousness.

* * *

 _Back on the Den-Liner, Mai and Naomi rushes in the dining cart and saw the condition it was in. At the far end of the room is Momotaros and Urataros still trying to push Kintaros off of them. "Momotaros! Urataros!" Mai cried out as she and Naomi helped pull Kintaros off._

 _Momotaros and Urataros sighed in relief as they stood back up and stretch out their legs._ " _ **Ugh, finally! Took you long enough!"**_ _Momotaros said to Mai._

 _Mai disregarded Momotaros as she asked Naomi, "Naomi, where were you when it happened?"_

" _Well, I wasn't on the train when it happened. I was restock the supplies for the Den-Liner since we made a stop." Naomi replied._

 _Mai pulled her hoodie back as she asked Urataros, "So who is this imagin we're dealing with?"_

" _ **An imagin who called himself, Ryutaros. And I must say, he is quite powerful. Being able to take on all three of us and even taking out Kintaros here."**_ _Urataros said as he pointed towards Kintaros, who is sleeping again._

" _Damn." Mai cursed under her breath. "Do you know where Kurokuu is right now?"_

 _Momotaros groaned as he stretches his body. He cracks his neck and said_ _ **, "No. That brat somehow blocked my connection with Kurokuu. I can't find him anywhere."**_

 _Mai ponders for a bit and said, "Alright, I'll start searching for Kurokuu around Vale. You guys go check with Team RWBY and see if they saw him anywhere."_

" _ **Right, we got this."**_ _Urataros stated as Mai walked out of the dining car._

 _Momotaros walked over to Kintaros and shouted_ _ **, "OI, BEAR BOY WAKE UP! WE NEED YOU FOR ONCE!"**_

 _Momotaros proceeded to slap Kintaros in the face over and over until Kintaros sat up, hitting Momotaros in the face._ " _ **What is it, Momoji?!"**_ _Kintaros asked Momotaros._

 _Momotaros rubbed his nose as he said to himself_ _ **, "Stupid bear."**_

* * *

 _The sun shined brightly as the sun's rays enters Team RWBY's dorm. The remaining members of Team RWBY were all sleeping soundly until Ruby slowly woke up from her slumber. She yawned loudly as she notices several things. Kurokuu isn't in his bed, the lights in the bathroom is on and not off like before, and that there is a trail of sand coming from the bathroom to the door. Ruby started to worry as she hopped off her bed and faced towards Weiss. Ruby poked Weiss as she said "Weiss wake up, Kurokuu is missing."_

 _Weiss slowly wakes up from her slumber as she said, "What? Kurokuu is missing? What happened?"_

" _I don't know but when I woke up, he's not here. The bathroom lights are on and there's a trail of sand coming from the bathroom which leads to the door."_

 _Weiss sits up and straightens her hair as she said in a worried tone, "Oh no, now we need to find Kurokuu and Blake. And I don't know where to start."_

" _Calm down Weiss, I'm hoping we could ask Momotaros and the others. Maybe they know?" Just as Ruby said that, Momotaros, Urataros, and Kintaros all appeared in their sand form. Ruby looked relieved as she said, "Great we were about to look for you! Do you know where Kurokuu is?"_

 _Urataros sighs as he said_ _ **, "Sadly no, we were about to ask you the same thing."**_

 _Ruby frowned at the news while Weiss got up and said, "Wait, do you know what happened to him?"_

 _Kintaros cracked his neck as he said_ _ **, "Kurokuu...he got possessed by an imagin."**_

 _Weiss' eyes widen as she said, "What?! How did it happen?_

" _ **I don't know,"**_ _Urataros said_ _ **, "he came out of nowhere on the Den-Liner and bested all of us."**_

" _How...How powerful is he?"_

" _ **I don't know. And frankly, I don't want to find out."**_

" _Wait, don't you have some kind of connection with Kurokuu? Why can't you track him?" Ruby asked._

" _ **Can't. The brat who possessed him somehow blocked our connection with him. Right now, Mai is trying to find him in Vale."**_ _Momotaros said stressfully._

" _Do you want us to find him? Because right now, we are trying to find Blake as well."_

" _ **Blake-chan? What happened?"**_ _Urataros asked._

" _She ran away when we found out she was an ex-White Fang member." Weiss informed._

" _ **Well that's too bad. I hope you find her, but we have to keep searching. If you find him, call me on the scroll."**_ _Urataros said as he showed Weiss and Ruby his scroll number._

" _Okay, we'll find him." Weiss said._

" _ **Great. Come on Senpai, Kin-chan. We have to find Kurokuu."**_ _And with that, Momotaros, Urataros, and Kintaros all disappeared._

 _Ruby looked at Weiss as she saw how stressed she is. "Weiss, we find them don't worry."_

* * *

 _Blake took a sip of her tea as she sat across the monkey faunus. Blake had just explained her past involvement with the White Fang to the monkey faunus, who sat and absorbed all the information._

 _The monkey faunus has come to terms with this as he asked, "So... have you told your friends any of this?"_

 _Blake stayed silent for a moment until she said, "In terms of if I told anyone, no one except you Sun. In terms of if anyone found out, all my teammates did."_

 _The monkey faunus, now named Sun, stays silent as he uses his tail to pick up the cup of tea to drink. Sun sets it down as he said, "Well how did they find out?"_

" _My teammates found out when I accidentally said it out loud. My other teammate, on the other hand, found out when he saw my past."_

 _Sun raised his eyebrow as he asked, "Saw your past? Is that like his semblance or somethin'."_

" _No. It's hard to explain but it's better if you see it happen yourself." Blake said as she took a sip of her tea. "But for now, I have to worry about the robberies. It can't be the White Fang, it doesn't make sense."_

* * *

 _In the shady side of Vale, a nightclub is opened for the day as music and lights escapes the building. Outside, four guards, in black suits and red ties, are guarding the entrance due to a certain incident involving a blond bombshell. The four guards all check their weapons until hip hop music played out of nowhere._

 _ **(Cue~Climax Jump-HIPHOP Ver.)**_

 _They saw a kid with purple eyes and black hair, with a strand of purple hair coming off the side. He's wearing a white long sleeves shirt with a purple down vest. He's also wearing ripped jeans with combat boots. And to top it off, he is wearing a brown cap with purple dye and headphones hanging around his neck._

 _He dances around while the guards looked at him confusingly. They pointed their swords at him as one of the said, "Hey kid, beat it! You can't be here!"_

 _The kid didn't listen as he said_ _ **, "Hey, let's be friends!"**_

" _Are you deaf? I said beat-" The guard wasn't able to finish his sentence as the kid kicks him in the gut, knocking him to the ground. They were in shock, but quickly recovered as they draw out their sword and went on the offensive. The kid smirked as he performed a windmill, kicking all three of the guards in the face._

 _The first guard was about to get up but the kid grabbed him by the collar and threw him into the nightclub. The sound of fear and shock was heard as the kid entered inside. All of the guards surrounded the kid with guns and swords pointed at him. "Out of the way." A voice called out as the guard made way to the owner of the club. He has gray eyes, short black hair, along with a matching beard and mustache. He's wearing a black vest over a white dress shirt, a red tie, black gloves and black dress pants. "Who the hell do you think you are? Beating up my men and walk into my nightclub like you own the place." The Owner of the club asked._

 _The kid looked at him innocently as he said_ _ **, "I just wanted to make some friends."**_

 _The club owner growled at his as one of the guards asked, "Can I waste him Junior?"_

 _The club owner, now dubbed Junior, looks at him and said, "Yeah whatever. I don't need to deal with him right now."_

 _All the guards readied their weapons until the kid snapped his fingers. Junior didn't hear any gunfire go off as he turned around and said, "Well are you gonna waste him or no-" He stopped mid-sentence as he saw all of his guards pointing their weapons at him. Junior puts his hands in the air as he said, "What are you doing? Shoot him!"_

 _They remain unresponsive as the kid moved in front of them and said cheerfully_ _ **, "Yay! Thank you for letting them be friends with me! We're gonna go have some fun, let's go guys!"**_ _The kid danced out of the club with the guards following, while dancing, him from behind._

" _Hey! Get back here or you're all fired!" Junior shouted as all of his men left the club. Junior's fist shook furiously as he shouted, "SHIT!"_

* * *

 _"Blaaaake! Kurokuuuuuuu! Ruby shouted._

 _"Blaaaake!" Yang called out. Ruby, Weiss, and Yang are all walking around the streets of Vale, looking for their missing teammates._

 _"Blaaaaaaaake! Kurokuuuuu! Where aaaare yoooouuuu!?"_

" _Blake!"_

 _Ruby turns to Weiss and notices that she's not helping. "Weiiiiss, you're not helping!" Ruby said._

 _Weiss snaps out of her thoughts as she said, "Oh what? Uh sorry, I'm just think about something that's all."_

" _Is it about Kurokuu? Weiss, we'll find him so don't worry."_

" _It's not that. It's what he said to me."_

 _Yang joined in and commented, "Weiss, I gotta say, Kurokuu is right. We should hear her side of the story before we jump to any conclusions."_

" _And what if I was right?" Weiss questioned Yang._

 _"And I think Weiss' hair looks wonderful today!" Ruby turns around and jumped as she saw Penny walking behind Weiss._

" _Aaaah! Penny! Where did you come from!?" Ruby asked._

 _Penny cheerfully avoided the question as she asked, "Hey guys! What are you up to?"_

" _Uhh…"_

" _We're looking for our friends Blake and Kurokuu." Yang answered for Ruby._

" _Ooooh, you mean that boy and the Faunus girl!" Penny exclaimed._

 _Ruby, Weiss, and Yang stared at her confusingly as Ruby asked, "Wait, how did you know that?"_

 _"Uhh, the cat ears?" Penny said as she pointed at her ears._

 _Yang chuckles and said, "What cat ears? She wears a... boooohhh..."_

 _The realization leaves them as the tumbleweed is passing by. "She does like tuna a lot..." Ruby commented._

 _"So, where are they?" Penny asked._

 _"We don't know. They've been missing since Friday."_

 _Penny gasps as she said, "That's terrible! Well, don't you worry Ruby, my friend! I won't rest until we find your teammates!"_

 _"Uh, that's really nice of you, Penny, but we're okay! Really! Right, guys?" Ruby turns to Weiss and Yang, expecting them to be here. But all she saw was an outline of where they were._

 _A tumbleweed passes by as the wind picks up. "It sure is windy today!" Penny remarked._

* * *

 _Sun and Blake are walking down the alleyway as they discuss about their plans. "So what's the plan now?" Sun asked with his hands behind his head._

" _I still don't believe the White Fang is behind these robberies. They never needed that much dust before." Blake said._

" _What if they did?" Sun asked. He lowered his arms and paced in front of Blake as he continues his theory. "I mean... the only way to prove that they didn't do it, is to go to the place where they would most likely go to if they were to do it, and not find them there! Right?"_

 _"The only thing is, I've no idea where that would be."_

 _"Well, while I was on the ship, I heard some guys talking about offloading a huge shipment of Dust coming in from Atlas."_

 _"How huge?"_

 _"Huge. Big Schnee Company freighter."_

 _"You're sure?"_

* * *

 _Meanwhile, Mai is running across the rooftops of Vale, scouting out for Kurokuu. As she looks around, Momotaros appeared in his sand form. "Momotaros, did you find the imagin?" Mai asked._

" _ **No, I can't find him anywhere. I can't smell the imagin."**_ _Momotaros informed._

" _Damn it!" Mai cursed. She looks around and said, "I've checked everywhere. Where could he be?" Momotaros was about to say something until he sniffed the air. Mai gets her hopes up and asked, "What is it? Did you find the imagin?_

" _ **Yeah I found an imagin, but not who we're looking for."**_ _Momotaros said. He sniffs the air a little more until he growls and said_ _ **, "Crap, it's that damn bat imagin!"**_

 _Mai looked shocked as she shouted, "What do you mean that the bat imagin is still alive! I thought you killed it!"_

" _ **Looks like I didn't finish the job. But I can't do anything without a body!"**_

 _Mai contemplates about her situation until she said, "We'll have to find Kurokuu later. I'm gonna go finish the job." Mai pulls out her bow and said, "Momotaros, lead the way."_

" _ **Yeah, yeah, I got it."**_ _Momotaros locks onto the scent as he started to run towards the direction of the bat imagin._

* * *

 _Penny and Ruby are walking around as Penny asked, "So, Blake's your friend?"_

 _Ruby sighed as she replied, "Yes, Penny."_

" _As well as Kurokuu?"_

" _Yes, him too."_

" _And you're mad at them?"_

" _No, I'm not mad at them. But I'm not so sure about Weiss."_

 _Penny tries to comprehend the situation as she asked, "Why?"_

 _Ruby sighs as she explained, "Well, for Blake, she might not be who we thought she was."_

 _Penny gasps as she asks, "Is she a man?"_

 _"No! No, Penny. She's..." Ruby stops and sighs. She looks at Penny and said, "I don't know what she is. She didn't exactly talk to us before she decided to run off."_

 _"I don't have a lot of friends, but if I did, I would want them to talk to me about things."_

 _Ruby sighs sadly and said, "Me too…"_

" _So what about your friend, Kurokuu? Why did he disappear?"_

 _Ruby thinks carefully about her next words as she said, "Well, let's just say that Kurokuu has a 'special' condition and he can't control some of his actions."_

" _Like a possession?" Penny guessed._

" _Yeah exactly like that. But when Kurokuu's not 'possessed,' he's always there to help others. Even if he sometimes doesn't realize that he needs some help as well from time to time."_

" _Kurokuu sounds like a great friend." Penny commented._

" _Yeah. He sure is."_

* * *

 _The darkness of night covered the skies as Blake is laying flat on her stomach on top of the rooftops. She gazes at the shipments of Schnee Dust Containers, waiting for something to happen. "Did I miss anything?" Sun asked as he jumps in, holding green apples in his arms._

 _"Not really. They've offloaded the crates from the boat. Now they're just sitting there."_

" _Cool." Sun commented. He holds out a green apple and said, "I stole you some food!"_

 _Blake gave a questioning look at Sun as she asked, "Do you always break the law without a second thought?"_

" _Hey, weren't you in a cult or something?" Sun countered. Blake glares at him angrily. "Okay, too soon!"_

 _Just as he says this, the winds blows all around them, and they look up to see a Bullhead's searchlights flashing around for a landing spot, descending in the middle of the cargo containers and extending a ramp for a black hooded individual with a metallic fanged mask to come out of._

" _Oh no." Blake said._

" _Is that them?" Sun asked._

 _Blake stares at one of the White Fang soldiers as she said, "Yes...It's them."_

 _"All right, grab the tow cables!" One of the White Fang soldiers ordered._

" _You really didn't think they were behind it did you?" Sun asked._

 _Blake stares at the White Fang sadly as she said, "No. I think deep down I knew. I just didn't want to be right."_

 _Blake closes her eyes in despair, until she opened her eyes as she heard a new voice. "Hey! What's the holdup!?" The soldiers turn to see Roman Torchwick walking out of the Bullhead as he said, "We're not exactly the most inconspicuous bunch of thieves at the moment, so why don't you animals try to pick up the pace?"_

 _"This isn't right. The White Fang would never work with a Human. Especially not one like that." Blake said as she pulled out Gambol Shroud and walked near the edge of the roof._

" _Hey, what are you doing?!" Sun asked as Blake leapt into action._

 _Blake sneaks around cautiously and sees Roman talking to a soldier holding a coil of rope. "No, you idiot! This isn't a leash!" Roman insulted. He looks around until Blake gets Roman from behind with her blade against his throat. "What the-?! Oh, for f-"_

" _Nobody move!" Blake interrupted._

 _The White Fang soldiers all surrounded Blake with their weapons pointed at her. "Whoa! Take it easy there, little lady." Roman said._

 _The White Fang were about to close in on Blake, until she pulls off her bow, revealing her cat ears. "Brothers of the White Fang! Why are you aiding this scum?" Blake asked._

 _The White Fang lowered their weapons, unsure of what to do. Roman laughs as he asked, "Oh kid, didn't you get the memo?"_

 _"What are you talking about?"_

 _"The White Fang and I are going in on a joint business venture together!"_

 _"Tell me what it is or I'll put an end to your little operation."_

 _Just then, the air around them moves wildly as Roman looked up and said, "I wouldn't exactly call it a little operation…"_

 _Blake looks up and sees two bullheads hovering over the shipments. Blake watches in horror as sand came off of Roman. Blake looks down as she saw the sand forming into the bat imagin. The bat imagin slashes her across the chest with his claws, causing her to stumble back in pain. "BLAKE!" Sun shouted as he made his way down the rooftops._

 _Blake clenches her chest in pain as she said, "You...You made a contract with an imagin?!"_

 _Roman snickers as he said, "You got that right. I'm surprised that you would know about it. But no matter, I'll have my partner finish the job."_

 _The bat imagin extends his arm out as he said_ _ **, "Prepare to die, filthy faunus."**_

* * *

 _Mai and Momotaros are running around trying to find the bat imagin. Mai grew impatient as she asked, "Momo, are we there yet?!"_

" _ **Yeah we're here!"**_ _Momotaros said as he lead Mai to the docks._

 _Then Urataros and Kintaros appeared as Mai asked, "Urataros, Kintaros, where were you?"_

" _ **We were trying to look for Kurokuu around the city. We still found no signs of him."**_ _Urataros informed._

" _It doesn't matter at the moment. We got an imagin on our hands and Kurokuu isn't here to fight it so I'll have to do it."_

 _Kintaros cracks his neck as he said_ _ **, "An imagin huh? I guess it's time for me to show him my strength."**_

 _Momotaros cracks his knuckles as he said_ _ **, "Alright! IKUZE! IKUZE! IKUZE!"**_ _As he said that, Momotaros and Kintaros charged straight in, but only to come back and be covered in bullet holes._

 _Mai and Urataros face palmed as she said, "Stay here. I'll handle it." Mai pulled out an arrow from her quiver as she places it against the bow and charges into battle._

 _Momotaros growled in anger as he said_ _ **, "Stupid huntress."**_

" _ **Funny coming for you who ran into battle and only to come back with bullet holes everywhere."**_ _Urataros retorted._

" _ **SHUT IT YOU PERVERTED TURTLE!"**_

 _Urataros ignored him as he said_ _ **, "I'm going to assist Mai, if you know what I mean. Seeya."**_ _Urataros became translucent blue and floated towards the battle._

 _Momotaros and Kintaros observe as Urataros jumps into one of the White Fang soldiers._ " _ **Why the hell didn't I think of that?!"**_ _Momotaros asked himself._

 _The White Fang soldier notices his ally's lack of activeness as he asks, "Hey, are you alright?"_

 _The possessed White Fang soldier takes off his mask and hood, revealing his blue eyes, the blue streak in his hair, and his wolf ears. Urataros smirked as he asked_ _ **, "Am I alright?"**_ _Urataros clocked him in the head with the rifle in his hand as said_ _ **, "I feel great. Thank you for asking."**_

 _Momotaros and Kintaros looked at each other as Momotaros said_ _ **, "Alright, on the count of three, we find ourselves a body."**_ _Kintaros nodded in confirmation as Momotaros said_ _ **, "One and a two and a one, two, three!"**_ _Momotaros and Kintaros both became translucent as they are in search of a body._

* * *

 _Kintaros hovers around a White Fang soldier before jumping inside the soldier, giving Kintaros complete control. Kintaros took off the mask and hoodie as it revealed his yellow eyes, the yellow streak in his ponytail hair, and his bear ears. Kintaros flexes his muscles as he said_ _ **, "Oh, this body will do!"**_

" _Hey, what are standing around for? Kill the cat!" One of the soldiers ordered._

 _Kintaros glares at him as he cracks his neck and said_ _ **, "Do you think you have the strength to order me around?!"**_ _Then Kintaros sprinted towards the White Fang soldier and speared him to the ground. Kintaros got back up, grabs the soldier by the collar, and banged his head against the cargo, knocking him out cold._ " _ **That felt great! Now time to help Mai and Blake."**_ _Kintaros said excitedly before being surrounded by White Fang soldiers._

" _Don't move traitor!" One of them called out. Kintaros smirks as he jumps in the air and punches the ground, causing a destructive wave to occur. All of the White Fang soldiers flew back into the water or a cargo. Kintaros cracked his knuckles before more of them arrived on the scene._

 _Kintaros laughed heartily as he said_ _ **, "Yes, COME AT ME!"**_

* * *

 _The bat imagin was ready to kill Blake until an arrow pierced his hand, causing sand to leak out of his wounds. Blake looked up and saw Sun and Mai joining in on the battle as Sun said, "Leave her alone!"_

 _The bat imagin grouped with Roman as he pulled the arrow out of his hands. Then more bullheads appear, releasing more White Fang soldiers onto the docks. Roman looks at Sun and said, "You're not the brightest banana in the bunch, are you, kid?"_

 _Then a translucent Momotaros hovered above Sun before he jumped inside him. Sun's blonde hair has a red streak running through and his once dark gray eyes turned bright red. Roman looked at him confusingly until Momotaros shouted_ _ **, "ALRIGHT, NOW IT'S REALLY TIME FOR THE CLIMAX!"**_

 _Mai and Blake looked at Momotaros in Sun's body as Mai said, "Momotaros, what are you doing?! I told you to go wait there!"_

" _ **And miss this huge battle? Not a chance."**_

 _Mai groaned as she said, "Momotaros, handle the goons. I'll handle the imagin. And Blake, can you handle Roman?"_

 _Blake twirled Gambol Shroud as she said, "Yes I can. And I'll gladly do it."_

" _Alright now!" Mai commanded as she shot an arrow at the bat imagin before tackling it down. Roman was about to intervene until Blake attacked him._

 _The rest of the White Fang soldiers surrounded Momotaros as he said_ _ **, "Now, witness the true climax!"**_ _Momotaros pulled out Sun's weapons, Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang. Momotaros twirls the nunchakus around as he said_ _ **, "TO THE TIGER BOY!"**_ _The first White Fang soldier attacked but Momotaros swung the nunchaku at the soldier's face, disorienting it before kicking him in the groin and punching him out cold. The next one attacks as Momotaros swings the other nunchaku over his shoulder and upwards, hitting the White Fang soldier in the chin before sweep kicking him and stepping on his face. Two of them strike next, but Momotaros combined the nunchakus together to form a bo staff. He swings left to right, disorienting them before striking the first one in the face and kicking the other one in the stomach. The last one used his rifle and fired all his rounds, but Momotaros blocked all the bullets with the bo staff. The White Fang soldier ran out of bullets, giving Momotaros an opening to whack him in the face._

 _Momotaros chuckles at the last soldier and said_ _ **, "Guess they couldn't handle it."**_ _Momotaros looks up and turns to Mai to see her holding her own against the bat imagin._ " _ **And as always, my job isn't over yet."**_ _Momotaros said before joining Mai into the fight._

* * *

 _Meanwhile, Blake is currently holding her own against Roman. Blake creates after images of herself to throw off Roman, but he isn't fooled as he destroys all of the images and block all the incoming attacks. Blake struggled to find a weak point on Roman as he quickly turned the tides and landed a couple hits before he knocks Blake a way. Roman thought he won and lets his guard down, but his fight isn't over. Urataros and Kintaros joined the fray as Urataros fired off rounds of bullets at Roman. Roman quickly reacted and blocks all of the bullets, but it left him wide open for Kintaros to unleash a fury of punches and kicks on him. Roman is completely disoriented as Kintaros shouts_ _ **, "DOSUKOI!"**_ _Kintaros delivers the finishing blow with an open palm strike, pushing Roman back and into the cargo._

 _Roman slowly gets up and notices a cargo hanging by a crane. He smirks as he fires the the crane, causing the cargo to plummet towards them. Urataros, Kintaros, and Blake quickly reacted and rolled out of the way just in time. Roman aimed his cane at Blake before he was interrupted by certain girl in a red hood, "HEY!"_

 _Roman looks up and sees Ruby with Crescent Rose out and ready. He loses interest in Urataros, Kintaros, and Blake as he said, "Well, hello, Red! Isn't it past your bedtime?"_

 _Penny approaches Ruby and asked, "Ruby, are these people your friends?"_

 _Ruby turns around and said, "Penny, get back!" Distracted, Roman takes his opportunity and fires at Ruby, launching her back. Roman laughs evily as Penny turns to him with a glare. Ruby raises her hand as she said, "Penny, wait! Stop!"_

" _Don't worry Ruby. I'm combat ready!" Penny said. Her backpack mechanically opens, and inside comes out a single sword that extends and multiplies into several blades. Penny leapt from the rooftops with her swords acting as wings. She hovers towards Roman and sends three swords to him, but Roman blocks the attacks using his cane. As Penny lands, Roman goes on the offense and attacks Penny. She quickly reacts by using her swords to block the attack. Then Penny sends three blades towards Roman, who quickly blocks all of the attack. Penny sees an opening as she rushes in and manipulate the swords to do an upwards strike against Roman, flinging him in the air. Penny flies above Roman and sends more blades at him, knocking him back to the ground. Then the swords twirl around as she commands them to open their points and charge up a ball of green light behind her. Penny smirks as she fires the laser beam, launching her to the ground and crushing Roman under her feet._

 _Urataros and Kintaros has their jaws open as Urataros said_ _ **, "Woah, she's scary."**_

 _Ruby arrives on the scene as she said, "Penny. That. Was. AWESOME!"_

" _Thanks, Ruby." Penny said bashfully._

 _As Kintaros ties Roman up with chains, Ruby sees Blake and rushes towards her. Ruby hugged Blake tightly as she said, "Blake, you're here! We've been looking everywhere for you! You had us worried sick!"_

" _I know and I'm really sorry about disappearing on you guys and not telling you about who I am." Blake apologized._

 _Ruby smiles as she said, "Blake, you don't have to apologize about anything. But just remember, we're your friends. And we never hurt you because of who you are."_

 _Blake is moved by Ruby's words until Urataros said_ _ **, "Well, that's enough chit-chat. We need to help Momotaros and Mai right now. Come on!"**_ _Everyone nodded as they hurried to the bat imagin's location._

* * *

 _The bat imagin flies towards Mai and Momotaros, but they both dodged out of the way. Mai pulled out three arrows and fired it all at once. The air pierced the imagin's wings, causing him to fall mid-flight. Momotaros sees the advantage as he charges in with Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang, in it's nunchaku form. As the bat imagin got up, Momotaros swings both of the nunchakus simultaneously while firing the gun to increase the force behind each swing. Then he combines them into a staff and unleashed a fury of combos on him. The bat imagin stumbled back as he saw Momotaros going in for a downward strike. The bat imagin grabbed the bo staff and misdirected the attack before slashing Momotaros, lowering his host's aura defense._

 _The bat imagin kicks Momotaros away, only for Mai to join back in. Mai swings upward with her bow, disorienting the imagin before Mai slides between his legs and fires one fire dust arrow. The bat imagin got up and tried to take off in the air, but Mai pulls out an arrow with a fishing line wrapped around it and fires it at his leg. The bat imagin shouts in pain as Mai pulls him back to the ground. As Mai charges towards the bat imagin, he pulls out the arrow from leg and stabs Mai in the ankle with it. She cried in pain before the bat imagin grabbed her and threw her into Momotaros._

 _As Momotaros and Mai slowly got up, Ruby, Penny, Blake, Urataros, and Kintaros arrived on scene. Ruby saw Mai's condition as she asked, "Mai, are you okay?!"_

" _I'm fine...just let me…pull this out." Mai said as she quickly pulls the arrow out._

 _The bat imagin faces them as he said_ _ **, "Give up. I have no more time to waste with you."**_

 _Momotaros looks at him and said_ _ **, "If you didn't notice, it's seven of us against you."**_

 _The bat imagin laughs as he said_ _ **, "You haven't seen anything yet."**_ _As he says this, he opens his mouth and lets out a loud, sonic screech. Everyone covered their ears, which gave the bat imagin and advantage to taking everyone out. The bat imagin flew straight towards them and grabs Momotaros and Blake in the air. The bat imagin throws Blake back down to the ground while he slashes Momotaros repeatedly until Momotaros is knocked out of the body, leaving behind an injured Sun. The bat imagin grinned as he lets Sun plummet to the ground. The bat imagin lands back the ground and unleashes another sonic screech, pushing everyone back._

 _As everyone got up, Blake saw the condition Sun is in and shouted, "SUN!" She ran towards him and helped him up._

 _The rest of the White Fang soldiers surrounds them as the bat imagin said_ _ **, "I have wasted too much time with you. It's now time for me to finish the contract."**_ _The bat imagin walks towards the unconscious and chained up Roman, ready to finish his contract until something interrupted him._

 _ **(Cue~Climax Jump-HIPHOP Ver.)**_

 _Hip hop music started playing as the White Fang started to check their surrounding. Ruby looked around and saw a group of men in black suits and red ties dancing. "What is going on right now?" Blake asked. The men in black suit came together in a straight line before separating, creating a path for someone to walk through._

 _Ruby's eyes widen as she said, "Guys! It's Kurokuu!" Everyone, excluding Sun and Penny, were in shock as they saw Ryutaros, in Kurokuu's body, dancing around. Ryutaros does some moves and spins until he stops and stares at the bat imagin._

 _Ryutaros points at him and said_ _ **, "Were you gonna try to hurt them?"**_

" _ **You again?"**_ _The bat imagin asked._

" _ **It seems like you met Kuro-chan before. Doesn't matter cause I'm angry right now so listen up!"**_

" _ **I don't want to waste anymore time on you, child."**_

" _ **Like I care."**_ _Ryutaros said as he pulled out the Den-O belt. He spins around while connect the belt around him and press the purple button. The button played a hip hop tune as Ryutaros said_ _ **, "Henshin."**_ _He swipes the pass over the belt as it called out._

 _ **GUN FORM**_

 _The armor materializes as purple pieces of armor combined together. Then a purple face plate, shaped like a dragon, combined with the helmet. Ryutaros spins around and points at the bat imagin as Momotaros said_ _ **, "Hey, what is that?!"**_

 _Mai looked shocked as the only thing she said is, "It can't be."_

" _ **Mind if I defeat you?"**_ _Ryutaros asked. He spins around again as he said_ _ **, "I can't hear you!"**_

" _ **So the Den-O reappears."**_ _The bat imagin said. He looks at his claw as he said_ _ **, "Your form is different than last time. But no matter, I'll let them do the job."**_

 _The White fang soldiers pointed their guns at Ryutaros and started firing. Ryutaros rolled out of the way and into cover as he takes the pieces of the Den-Gasher and formed a gun. He moved out of his cover and started to shoot at the soldiers, knocking some of them out. With low number of gun fire occurring, Ryutaros runs towards the remaining five White Fang soldiers. The first soldier charged at Ryutaros with a sword as he attempted to thrust him, but Ryutaros kicked the blade out of the way and shot him in the knee. Then the second soldier charged in with his rifle as he attempts to shoot Ryutaros point blank. But Ryutaros sees it coming as he jumps over the White Fang soldier and shoots him in the back. Then the last remaining three attempted to flee but Ryutaros gunned them rest down._

 _Ryutaros sees the bat imagin attempting to travel back so he quickly fires his gun at him, stopping him. The bat imagin growls as he said_ _ **, "Persistent. Fine, I'll take the liberty of making you suffer slowly."**_ _Then the bat imagin unleashed a sonic screech, but Ryutaros quickly avoids it and fires backs. The bat imagin uses the sonic screech as defense to slow the bullets down. Ryutaros charges in and kicks the bat imagin in the stomach before doing axe kicking him to the ground. Ryutaros was ready to pull the trigger but the bat imagin did a sonic screech in the ground, pushing Ryutaros off of him. Then the bat imagin flew straight at Ryutaros, but quickly dodges out of the way and shoots him mid-flight._

 _The bat imagin fell back to the ground in pain as Ryutaros pulls out the pass and said_ _ **, "This is the end. Okay?"**_

 _The bat imagin got up and pleaded_ _ **, "No...please."**_

" _ **I can't hear you."**_ _Ryutaros places the pass over the belt as it called out._

 _ **FULL CHARGE**_

 _Ryutaros throws the pass away as the laser connects together with the shoulder plates of the armor and the weapon. Ryutaros points his gun at the imagin and fires, releasing a dark purple ball of electricity at the imagin. The bat imagin screamed in fear as ball of electricity killed him, causing a huge explode. Ryutaros was ready to walk away until he turned around and saw the remnants of sand forming into a Gigandeath Heaven. The Gigandeath screeched loudly as it fired stingers at Ryutaros and the group._

 _They all managed to the dodge the attack as Ryutaros, Penny, Ruby, Blake, Mai, and Urataros all fired their guns at the Gigandeath, but it was rendered useless. Suddenly, the Den-Liner appeared along with three other railroad cars colored blue, yellow, and all of the tracks combined as the purple car took the lead with the yellow car, blue car, and the Den-Liner following behind. The cars linked together with the Den-Liner, creating a large train called the Den-Liner Ikazuchi._

 _Ryutaros cheered as he said_ _ **, "Yay! I have a giant train!"**_ _Ryutaros jumps onto the front car with the Den-Bird is sitting on top of it. Ryutaros hops on the Den-Bird and revs it as the purple car shifted and formed into a dragon head. The second yellow car opens and reveals a large axe blade in the front with many more axes on the side. The blue car revealed a small turtle. And lastly the Den-Liner revealed an array of arsenal from cannons to missiles._

 _The Gigandeath fired its needles at the Den-Liner Ikazuchi, but Ryutaros quickly maneuvered away from the needles and fired off bolts of lighting using his gun. Ryutaros traps the Gigandeath by spinning around it, restricting its movement. Then Ryutaros unleashes all of the Den-Liner Ikazuchi's manpower, firing off missiles, bombs, lasers, and lighting bolts. Ryutaros activates the axes on the Den-Liner Ikazuchi and chop off the Gigandeath's wings, causing it to plummet to the ground. The Gigandeath helpless moved around in the water as Ryutaros aims his gun at it. Ryutaros' gun and the dragon both charged their ball of energy until Ryutaros pulls the trigger, unleashing two beams of energy. The Gigandeath let out one final screech as the lasers disintegrates it, leaving nothing behind._

* * *

Trapped. That is the first thing I felt when I slowly woke from my slumber. I looked around and saw that I am surrounded by nothing but the darkness. I started to panic slightly but quickly calmed down as I asked myself, 'Okay, what do I remember before I blacked out?' I retraced my steps as I remembered letting Blake go off on her own, the argument I had with Weiss, an unbearable pain, and a voice in my head. 'Wait, a voice in my head? Did I...get possessed?' I asked myself. Suddenly, the darkness around me shattered as I regained some control of my sight. I looked around and saw that I am at the docks of Vale, but for some reason, it looked completely trashed and ruined. I soon realize that I am in the Den-O armor and that I am pointing a gun at Mai! I started to panic as I said, 'No, I won't let that imagin do it!'

Using all the energy I could muster, I attempted to break free from the imagin's possession. As I kept on pushing, I could hear him saying **, "No...I won't let you get out! Stay down!"**

Suddenly, I felt more pressure being added as I continued, but that didn't stop me. I shouted at the top of my lungs, "I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU HURT ANYONE!" Then I felt the imagin's possession being lifted as I regain control of my body again. I breathed heavily as I disconnected the belt. As the armor dematerialized, I laid on the ground completely tired from the fight. I saw Mai, Ruby, Blake, Penny, that monkey faunus, Momotaros in his sand form, and two White Fang soldiers, who I assume to be possessed by Urataros and Kintaros, surrounding me. Ruby looked worried as she asked, "Kurokuu, is that...you?"

"Yeah...it's me." I replied in between my breaths. I slowly got back up and asked them, "What happened here?"

" **White Fang attack. The White Fang were stealing cargos from the Schnee Dust Company, but we managed to stop them from stealing it. And also we found out the bat imagin was still alive. We tried to stop it but we all failed miserably until Ryutaros came in and killed the imagin."** Urataros explained.

"Ryutaros? Is that the imagin that possessed me?" I asked.

" **Yep."** Kintaros said. He cracked his neck as he continued the story **, "After the battle, Momoji, Urataros, and I tried to get him out of your body, but he is too powerful and managed to stop all of us. He was ready to shoot Mai until you got back in control."**

"I see. Guys, I just want to say that I'm sorry for causing all of that trouble."

Mai places her hand on my shoulder and said, "Kurokuu, that isn't your fault. It was that damn imagin." She looks at Momotaros, Urataros, and Kintaros as Mai said, "Well, let's get back onto the Den-Liner. We need to question him."

Momotaros stretches his back and said **, "Right, right, I got ya'. See ya' later, Kurokuu."** Then Momotaros quickly disappeared while Urataros and Kintaros jumped out of the White Fang soldiers' body.

Mai ran towards a random door to open the Sands of Time. She looked at us and said, "Stay safe everyone." Without another word, Mai entered the door, never coming out.

I looked at the monkey faunus and asked, "So, you have a name?"

"The name's Sun Wukong. And I gotta say that all of this monster stuff is really freaky." Sun commented.

"Yeah, it's a long story." I replied. Then the sounds of sirens occurred as the Vale Police arrived on the scene.

* * *

 _Meanwhile on the Den-Liner, Momotaros, Urataros, Kintaros, and Mai all started at Ryutaros, who is hiding in the corner. Momotaros snickered as he said_ _ **, "Well, like I said before. Once I get out, I'M KICKING YOUR ASS!"**_ _Without any warning, Momotaros charges at Ryutaros and tries to punch him, but Urataros and Mai held him back just in time._

 _Kintaros, on the other hand, grabbed Ryutaros by the collar as he threaten_ _ **, "I'll shut you up in one hit!"**_

" _ **Alright, shut him up, bear!"**_ _Momotaros encouraged._

 _Urataros pulls Ryutaros away from Kintaros as he said_ _ **, "They say a fisherman in a hurry won't catch any fish. I want to know the details so let's start with the first question. When did you possess Kurokuu?"**_

 _Ryutaros ponders for a bit until he replied_ _ **, "I possessed him...right when you possessed him."**_

 _Everyone looked shocked as Mai exclaimed, "You were in Kurokuu for that long?! How did none of us see you?"_

" _ **I used him as camouflage. That way, no one can see me."**_

 _Urataros felt dumbfounded as he muttered to himself_ _ **, "Used as camouflage…"**_

 _Mai took over the interrogation as Mai asked, "What are you after? Den-O? The singularity point?"_

" _ **Don't know. Something put the thought into my head by itself. Isn't all imagin this way?"**_ _Ryutaros replied._

 _Mai looked surprised as she asked them, "Is that true?"_

" _ **I suppose so."**_ _Urataros replied._

 _Ryutaros hops onto a bench as he said_ _ **, "So I was told that I could be a conductor for the train of time if I beat Kurokuu. Being a conductor would be great!"**_

 _Momotaros looked annoyed as he said_ _ **, "Conductor?! Who? Who told you that!"**_

 _Momotaros tried to punch Ryutaros, but he quickly ducks and said_ _ **, "I said I don't know. It was just put in my head. But that's why I have to beat Kurokuu, right?"**_

" _ **No 'right,' you jerk! I won't let that happen!"**_ _Momotaros shouted._

" _ **Besides, if Kurokuu dies, we all die."**_ _Urataros brought up._

" _ **I know but possessing Kurokuu is a really good thing."**_ _Ryutaros said._

" _Good? What do you mean by that?" Mai questioned._

 _Ryutaros ignored her question as he asked_ _ **, "Hey, do you mind if we keep it this way for a bit longer?"**_ _Everyone eyed Ryutaros suspiciously as they thought about his request._

* * *

It has been an hour since the White Fang raid. And at this moment, Ruby, Blake, Penny, Sun, and I are all sitting down quietly after the police has interrogated us about the incident. The police apprehended all of the White Fang members involved including Roman Torchwick. We all remained quiet until I heard footsteps coming towards us. We all look up and see Yang and Weiss walking towards us. Ruby stands up and explains to Weiss, "Look Weiss, it's not what you think, she explained the whole thing. See, she doesn't actually have a bow, she has kitty ears and they're actually kind of cute."

Weiss ignores her as she walked towards Blake. They stare at each other until Blake said, "Weiss, I want you to know that I'm no longer associated with the White Fang. Back when I was with the-"

"Stop! Do you have any idea how long we've been searching for you?" Weiss asked. Blake didn't answer as Weiss said, "Twelve hours. That means I've had twelve hours to think about this. And in that twelve hours, I've decided I don't care."

Ruby, Yang, Sun, and Blake seemed surprised at Weiss' response while I simply just smiled at her. She changed quite a lot from these past few weeks. I could remember when she was what everyone thought she was. But now, she's different and quite frankly, for the better. "You don't care?" Blake got out.

"You said you're not one of them anymore, right?"

"No, I-I haven't been since I was younger-"

"Ah-bah-bah-bah-bah! I don't want to hear it." Weiss silenced Blake. "All I want to know is that the next time something this big comes up... you'll come to your teammates. And not some… someone else." Weiss said as she stared at Sun.

Blake looks at Yang and Ruby, grinning at her. Blake wipes a tear from her eye as she replied, "Of course."

Weiss turns to me and said, "And Kurokuu, don't scare me like that ever again, okay?"

I sighed as I said, "Alright, I promise I won't do that again."

We all savor this happy moment until Ruby said, "Yeah! Team RWBY is back together!"

The five us gather around until Weiss points at Sun and said, "I'm still not quite sure about how I feel about you!"

Sun laughs nervously as Ruby asked, "Hey, wait a minute...Where's Penny?"

I look around and found no traces of Penny anywhere. "I don't know. She might've left during our conversation." I predicted.

Ruby looks crestfallen as she muttered, "Penny…"

Yang wraps her arms around Ruby as she said, "Cheer up, sis! Today's a good day! We found Blake and Kurokuu, Roman and the White Fang is in jail, and you guys stopped an imagin from what I heard over the scroll!"

Ruby started wailing her arms around as she said, "Yang...let go. You're choking me!"

We all laugh as Sun said, "Well, I gotta get back with my team. I'll see ya' later?"

"See you later, Sun." Blake said with a wave as Sun fled in the night.

I checked the time and noticed that it is 1:30 AM. I looked at Team RWBY and said, "Guys, it's 1:30 AM and none of the bullheads are available right now to drop us back to Beacon."

Weiss looked slightly panicked as she asked, "Well, what do we do? We can't sleep in the streets."

We all pondered for a bit until an idea popped in my head. "Wait, why don't we all stay at my sister's cafe for the night?" I suggested.

Ruby and Yang looked surprised as Ruby asked, "You have a sister?"

"Yeah, she took care of me for most of my life. I have the keys to the cafe and I'm sure Kasumi wouldn't mind if I came."

Weiss clapped her hands together as she said, "Well, sounds like a plan. To the Milk Dipper!"

Ruby and Yang raised their fist in the air and shouted, "YEAH!"

* * *

 _Meanwhile, Ozpin is watching a live feed of Team RWBY and Kurokuu, leaving the docks. He closes the video and opens up communication with a person name Qrow. The message sent by Qrow is: THE QUEEN AND KING HAVE PAWNS._

" _Hmmm… Curious." Ozpin said as he analyzes the message._

* * *

We arrived at the Milk Dipper as I used the key to open the door. I slowly open it and said, "Kasumi, are you here? Sorry if I came in without telling but-" The door opens to reveal Kasumi, crying as she looked at the telescope. My heart started racing as I asked, "Kasumi, are you okay? Do you…"

Kasumi looks towards me and said, "Ah! Kuro-chan. It's been a while." She wipes her tears away as she said, "What brings you here with your friends?"

I slowly calmed down as I said, "Well, the bullheads are not available right now, so is it okay if we stay here for the night?"

Kasumi smiles as she said, "Of course! Come in!" We all entered as Team RWBY gathered around a table. Kasumi looks at them and said, "I'm so glad that Kurokuu is making such good friends. I'll make everyone something to eat, okay?"

Team RWBY nodded in agreement as Kasumi went in the kitchen to make something up. As Team RWBY socialize with one another, I walked towards the telescope and stared at it. I reached my hand under the telescope and pulled out a stopwatch. I looked at the back as it read "The past should give us hope." I teared up a bit before I quickly wipe them away. I looked at the telescope once more as I said to myself, "Where are you, Shuichi-san?"

* * *

 _Inside an abandoned warehouse, a woman is seen watching the footage of Roman Torchwick being apprehended. She has a pale complexion with ashen-gray hair and amber eyes. She wears a dark-red, off-the-shoulders, v-neck minidress with yellow designs. There is a blue feather-like accessory on her right hip, at the top of an open portion of her dress. The dress ends in an upside-down triangular tail in the back, ending just above the knees._

" _How disappointing." The amber-eyed woman said to herself. Then out of the shadows, two others appeared. One is a woman with a medium-brown complexion, dark red eyes, and mint-green hair. Her attire consisted of an intricate white top and a cropped olive-colored undershirt, on the back of which is her personal also wears white pants and brown chaps that end at her calves and an overlong belt, twice-wrapped, where she keeps her weapons as well as a single pouch._

 _The other one is a male with a pale complexion, gray eyes, and gray hair. He wears a slate gray and black two-tone partial-zip jacket, a single notched belt with what appears to be a sash or bandana draped over it, black pants, and combat boots._

" _So Cinder, what's the plan now since Roman failed his job?" The mint-haired girl asked._

 _The woman, now named Cinder, looks at her and said, "Well, we start plan B. Mercury, where is he?"_

 _The gray-haired boy, now named Mercury, said, "I don't know, ask Emerald. She's always kissing your ass and doing stuff for you. Maybe she knows." The mint-haired girl, now named Emerald, punches Mercury in the arm. "OW! Okay, sorry!" Mercury apologized._

 _Emerald took a deep breath and said, "I don't know either. He always seem to wander everywhere he goes."_

 _Cinder opens her hands as she summons a ball of fire and said, "Well, if neither of you know, find him!"_

" _Don't get your panties in a bunch, Cinder." A voice said. The warehouse door opens to reveal to be man with a tanned complexion, slicked-back black hair, and dark brown eyes. He is wearing a long black leather coat with a crocodile details around it. And on his left arm, he is wearing an arm guard colored bronze. He is also wearing a gray sash around his waist and black baggy pants._

 _He takes a bite of the turkey leg in his hand as Cinder said, "You finally showed. Where were you?"_

" _Consulting with my followers." The man replied. "I knew that the orange-haired bastard can't do the job."_

" _Well, now we are initiating plan B. Do you have what we need, Gaoh?"_

 _The man, now named Gaoh, drops his turkey leg on the floor as he pulled out a ticket that has the word "INFINITY" on it. "No, not yet. I may need to use the White Fang to allow my fellow followers to enter this world and I need the Master Pass."_

" _And where are we gonna find that?" Emerald asked._

 _Gaoh chuckled as he said, "Oh, I know one person who has the Master Pass. And once we have it, we become gods."_

* * *

 _(A/N:) Okay, I know some may have questions about the direction where the story is going to. First off, I decided to have Roman be arrested much earlier than in the canon series because I wanted to mix the plot of Den-O and RWBY together. So I decided to let Roman get arrested and have Gaoh take over as "The new Roman" of Volume two. Does this mean that Roman will not be coming back? No, he'll come back sooner or later._

 _Anyways, leave a review on what you thought about this chapter and I'll see you in the next chapter. Bye!_


	9. Chapter 9: Bad Timing

(A/N:) Hey everyone, welcome to another chapter of Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time. I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while because of finals coming up, so I decided to finish finals first before working on this chapter. So this chapter will be one of the filler episodes from Kamen Rider Den-O and I gotta say, this episode is one of my favorite fillers out of the entire show. Anyways, leave a review on what you think and I hope you all enjoy.

I do not I own the rights to the series RWBY or Kamen Rider. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth Productions and The Kamen Rider Series is owned by Toei Company

"Normal Speech"

'Thoughts/Inner communication between OC and imagin'

 _"Third Person/Flashback"_

 **"Imagin speech"**

* * *

 _It is a quiet day on the Den-Liner as everyone was off doing their own thing. Mai and Urataros are having a cup of tea, Kintaros is snoozing away, and Ryutaros is drawing pictures while listening to music. Ryutaros' pictures are scattered across the floor as Momotaros walks cautiously around them._ " _ **Oi, oi, Brat! Stop leaving your drawings on the floor!"**_ _Momotaros scolded. Ryutaros didn't seem to care as he nods his head to the beat of the music in his headphones. Momotaros growled as he walks over to Ryutaros and pulls the headphones off of him._ " _ **Brat, I said pick the drawing off the floor!"**_

 _Ryutaros stares at Momotaros for a moment before snatching his headphones back from him and continues drawing. Momotaros growls and was about to grab Ryutaros until Mai said, "Momo, no fighting on the Den-Liner."_

" _ **Argh! This damn brat is getting on my nerves! Let's just toss him out!"**_ _Momotaros suggested._

" _Remember the deal? We let him stay as long as he doesn't hurt Kurokuu."_

 _Momotaros was about to say something until Urataros said_ _ **, "And besides, Ryuta wouldn't kill Kurokuu if that meant not being able to see her.**_

 _Momotaros was going to argue, but no word came out of his mouth. Momotaros sat back down and let everyone continue what they were doing. Momotaros looks at Ryutaros and asked everyone_ _ **, "Why does the runt like her anyway?"**_

" _I don't know Momo. But whatever the reason is, let's just hope he doesn't go out of control again." Mai replied as everyone, excluding Kintaros, stares at Ryutaros, who hums and draws happily without a care in the world._

* * *

 **Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time**

 **Chapter 9: Bad Timing**

* * *

I slowly open my eyes to see the ceiling of my room and not the school dorm. I sat up, wondering why I was here. Then I remembered that me and Team RWBY were sleeping here for the night due to lack of transportation. I looked around and noticed that Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang are not in their sleeping bag. 'They must've woke up earlier.' I thought to myself. I yawned loudly before standing up and walking towards the bathroom. I quickly brushed my teeth and put on my clothes for the day. I'm wearing a long-sleeved blue shirt and green cargo pants.

I walked downstairs and saw Team RWBY all eating breakfast while Kasumi is making coffee for the customers. Ruby looked up at me, with syrup all over her face, and said, "Kurokuu, you're here! You have to try these pancakes, they're so good!"

"I know Ruby, that's what I lived on for the past seventeen years." I said to Ruby as I walked to my seat. I clapped my hands together and said, "Itadakimasu!" I grabbed and poured the syrup on my pancakes and began to chow down.

I ate the pancakes hastily, which caused Weiss to look at me in slight disgust. "Kurokuu, do you have any manners?" Weiss asked.

"What? I said my prayers." I said while stuffing my face.

"Yes, but what about other things like chewing your food more slowly."

I swallowed the pancake in my mouth and asked, "Hey, why are you going off on me about table manners? I mean Ruby is stuffing her face as well."

We all turned around and see Ruby, stuffing her face in pancake. Ruby swallowed it and said embarrassingly, "Oh, sorry!"

Weiss sighed and said, "Yes but in Ruby's case, she's a child. You, on the other hand, are suppose be a bit more mature than she is."

Yang groaned loudly as she said, "Ice Queen, I think you need to 'chill' out for a bit." We all just stared at Yang as she said, "Ah? Ah? No? Oh come on, that joke was funny!"

"No it wasn't. You sound like dad and his bad jokes." Ruby commented.

Weiss ignores Ruby as she said, "Anyways, can you just try to have some manners at the table?"

"Alright, alright, I eat slower if that makes you feel any better." I said to Weiss.

Kasumi joined in as she said, "She's right, you know. I don't need you to be choking on food, now do we?"

"Kasumi, that was one time."

"Out of the several million time you choked on your own food." Kasumi said as she ruffles my hair.

I fixed my hair back and looked at Blake, who didn't touch her breakfast at all. "Hey Blake, are you gonna eat?" I asked Blake.

Blake snapped out of her thoughts as she said, "Oh, yeah. I'm eating." She picks up the fork and slowly eats her pancakes.

I wipe my mouth with a napkin before bring the plate to the sink. I turned around and saw Kasumi checking inventory. "It seems like we are out of a few things. Kurokuu, could you do me a favor?" Kasumi asked.

"Yeah, what's up?" I asked.

"Could you run to the market and buy a few things for me?"

"Sure. What is it you need?" Kasumi grabbed a pen from the counter and a piece of paper to write down what she need. She hands me the list as I started to skim through the list. "Okay, sounds good." I answered.

Kasumi hands me a hundred lien and said, "Thanks Kurokuu for helping me. Be sure to stay safe."

"Sis, I'm fine. I think I can handle some grocery shopping."

As I walked towards the door, I hear Weiss asking, "Where are you going? We need to report back to Beacon."

"Just running an errand." I replied.

Ruby stretched her arms out and said, "Alrighty, that sounds good. Then I'll see you later, Kurokuu!"

I was about to walk out until I saw Weiss following me from behind. "Oh, are you coming with me?" I asked.

Weiss stayed quiet until she replied nervously, "Yes…"

Yang grins at Weiss as she said, "Oh? Is Ice Queen gonna make her move?"

Weiss blushed a bit as she said, "No, I'm simply making sure that Kurokuu doesn't get into any trouble, that's all."

Blake looked at Weiss skeptically and said, "Right…"

Weiss checked the time on her scroll as she said, "Well, we'll be back in an hour."

"Alright, sounds good. We'll see ya' later!" Ruby said cheerfully.

We both waved goodbye to everybody before walking out the door. As we walked towards the market, I looked at Weiss and asked, "So Weiss, is there a reason why you're going with me? I mean it's just grocery shopping, it's not like I'm gonna get attacked or anything."

Weiss scratched her head nervously as she said, "Like I said to Blake, I'm here to make sure you stay out of trouble. You have a tendency to get into it."

"I guess you're right. It seems like the universe is out to get me, but I think I can hold on my own. The training with Kintaros, Momotaros, and Urataros is really helping me."

Weiss and I turned around the corner as Weiss said, "Speaking of imagin, what happened to the one that possessed you?"

"I don't know. I never had a chance to talk to him. Ryutaros is his name, I think. So far, he isn't trying to possess me or anything like that. But I fear if he goes out of control again, he would hurt you guys. I mean christ, he almost shot Mai last time."

Weiss seemed to understand what I was trying to say as she said, "Kurokuu, if I learned anything, it's that we become stronger with the help of others. We'll be there for you when you need it."

I felt slightly relieved by Weiss' words as I said, "Weiss, thanks."

"It's nothing." Weiss said as she lightly punched me in the arm. Eventually, we arrived at the market. We entered inside as Weiss grabbed a basket and said, "Well, what do we need?"

I pulled the list out of my pocket and said, "Well, first on the list is sugar. I think it's in that aisle." Weiss and I wandered throughout the store, searching for the necessary items on the list.

* * *

 _Meanwhile at the dock, an old man is seen sleeping against a lamppost. The old man has a tanned complexion with brown eyes, gray hair, and is slightly overweight. He is wearing a gray t-shirt, khakis, and brown shoes. As the old man slowly wakes up, a yellow orb comes down and jumps inside his body._

 _The old man didn't seem to notice it happening as he said, "Ow, damn headache." He slowly gets up and starts massaging his temple, trying to relieve the pain in his head._

 _Sand came off of him as the sand formed into an imagin with a whale motif._ " _ **Tell me… your wish. I can… grant any wish… you desire. But you… must… give me something… in return."**_ _The whale imagin said slowly._

 _The old man didn't seem to notice him as he staggers around, still intoxicated. The old man falls on the ground and hits his head. Before passing out, the old man mumbled, "Man...I wish I could lose my drinking habits."_

 _The old man passed out as the whale imagin nodded slowly and said_ _ **, "Your… contract… has been heard."**_ _As the whale imagin gained his physical form, he immediately jumps into the water, off to finish his contract._

* * *

Weiss and I walk out of the market with the groceries in our arms. I looked at the time and saw that it is currently 11:57 in the morning. I looked towards Weiss and said, "Okay, last thing we need to do is to drop this off at the cafe and we get to head back."

"Sounds like a plan." Weiss agreed.

I was about to put my wallet back in my pocket, but someone bumped into me, causing my wallet to slip out of my hands. "Sorry." The man simply said. His features weren't identifiable since he is wearing a black cap, shades, and a surgical mask. Even though it's a hot day, he's wearing a black turtleneck and trenchcoat with black pants and shoes.

"Oh, it's okay." I said calmly. I reached down to grab my wallet, but the man pushed me over and grabbed it before I did. "HEY! GIVE ME BACK MY WALLET!" I shouted in anger. The man didn't stop as he kept on going. 'Are you freaking kidding me?! My ID is in there! How am I supposed to get on the bullhead?!' I thought to myself. I took a deep breath before taking off at top speed, trying to catch up with the thief.

"Kurokuu, wait for me!" I heard Weiss calling as she caught up to me using her glyphs. Weiss ran next to me as she said, "I'm gonna keep following him, you cut him off at the bathhouse up the road."

"Got it!" I replied as I split in a different direction.

I ran through the alleyway and turned left. I didn't keep track of where I was going as I accidently knocked over a guy's stand. "MY CABBAGES!" The guy shouted.

"Sorry!" I apologized as I kept on going. I made another left turn which led me right in front of the bathhouse. I look to my left and saw the thief along with Weiss catching up with him. The thief collapse to the floor, exhausted from running the entire time. I towered over him and said, "I'm only gonna say this once. Give me back my wallet." I dropped my guard once I saw the thief pulling my wallet out. I was about to grab it out of his hands until the thief punched me right in the groin. I cringed in pain as I clenched my groin and fell on the ground. "That's...a low blow." I muttered.

I attempted to get back up, only for the thief to pull out a pistol and pointed it at my head. "Don't move! A-And you, d-drop your weapon and I'll let your friend go!" The thief threaten timidly. Weiss didn't seem convinced as she made one step closer to him. His hands start shaking as he shouted, "I mean it! D-Drop the sword now!" Suddenly, sirens wailed as we saw police cars coming towards us. The thief started to panic as he fired off a round and said, "You two go inside the bathhouse now!"

We both complied as we walked slowly inside. The thief locked the doors up and checked out the window. Then the owner of the bathhouse walked out and said, "Hey, what are you doing?" The bathhouse owner is a bear faunus with tanned complexion, dark brown eyes, and spiked-up black hair. He is wearing a white tank top, a Vacuan styled-happi coat, brown shorts, and sandals.

"Shut up!" The thief shouted as he pointed the gun at the bathhouse owner. The bathhouse owner stares at it for a bit until he realized it was real. He freaks out as the thief said, "Everyone get in that corner now!" We all complied as we bunched up in the corner. The thief kept his gun pointed at us as he said, "Listen...Let me warn you. I'm a super-evil robber! I'm gonna barricade myself till the police disappears." We peeked through the window and saw about five to six police cars waiting outside. With the police officers standing outside, guns ready. The thief gulped loudly as he pointed the gun and said, "Don't move anywhere!"

As the thief scanned the rooms, I sighed stressfully and said, "I can't believe we are being used as hostages."

"Why did you let your guard down like that?" Weiss asked.

"I don't know?! I just saw my wallet and assume he'll give it back since he's trapped by us. How would I know he would pull a low blow on me?!"

Weiss rubbed the bridge of nose as she asked, "Well, how do we get out of here?"

"We can't escape through the front or back. The VPD might've blocked off all perimeters, allowing none of us to escape. I can try contacting Momotaros and the others to see if they can help." I suggested to Weiss.

"Well, do what you need to do. I'll try to find any other way to escape." Weiss said as she looked at her surroundings.

I closed my eyes as I try to connect with Momotaros. I sensed Momotaros and said, 'Momotaros, I need your help.'

' **With what? I'm kinda trying to manage Ryutaros right here.'** Momotaros said.

'Weiss and I are...stuck in a hostage situation. I need you guys to get us out of here.'

Momotaros snickered in excitement as he said **, 'Yes, I'm free! Don't worry Kurokuu, I'll be there-OW!"**

Momotaros was interrupted by Mai as she said, 'Wait! Don't enter Kurokuu except when fighting an imagin! Kurokuu, the Den-Liner will arrive in your time period soon. So just try to hold on for a bit!'

'Okay, sounds good. I'll see you in a bit.' I said to Mai before the connection fade out.

Weiss looked at me and said, "Well, what happened?"

"Mai and the others will arrive in a bit. We'll have to hang on for a bit longer." I answered as I stared at the cops outside.

* * *

 _Back at the Milk Dipper, Blake is impatiently waiting for the arrival of Kurokuu and Weiss while Ruby is playing on her scroll, Yang is watching TV, and Kasumi is cutting some fruits. Blake walked in front of the TV again as Yang said, "Blake, move out of the way! I can't see!"_

 _Blake ignored Yang as she said, "Where's Weiss and Kurokuu? They should've been back by now. It's been an hour already."_

" _Blakey, you need to chill sometimes. I'm sure Weiss and Kurokuu will be back."_

" _Ooh! Ooh! I'm almost done!" Ruby shouted as she mashed the buttons on the scroll quickly._

" _MIGHTY CRITICAL STRIKE!" The game shouted before displaying the words "GAME CLEAR" on the screen._

" _Yes!" Ruby cheered before Blake snatched her scroll away. "Hey! I didn't save that!"_

" _Guys, this is serious! What if the White Fang kidnapped them for what happened at the dock?!" Blake said in a worried tone._

 _Yang stood up and wrapped her arm around Blake as she said, "Blakey, Blakey, you have to trust us on this one. Weiss and Kurokuu are fine. And if anything happens, they can call us, right?"_

 _Blake rubbed her eyes as she said, "I guess. Maybe I'm over exaggerating about this."_

" _See? All we can do now is wait." Yang said as she flipped through the channels. Yang flipped channels after channels until she stop at the Vale New Network. On screen, the news reporter, Lisa Lavender, is in front of what seems to be a police investigation as she said, "Thank you, Cyril. And now, we are broadcasting live at the scene of a hostage situation. We-"_

" _Yang, this is boring. Switch it!" Ruby interrupted as she attempt to take the remote out of Yang's hand._

" _Ruby, wait." Blake said as she took the remote from Yang's hand and turned up the volume on the TV._

" _Currently, there is no news or information regarding who is behind the hostage situation or who the hostages are." Lisa said before a man walked past the camera. Lisa looked interested as she asked, "Oh, Commissioner Church! May I get an insight on the situation?"_

 _Commissioner Church has a pale complexion with slick-back hair and a scruffy beard. He is wearing shades to cover his eyes, a long, tan trench coat, a blue collared shirt, black pants, and brown dress shoes. Commissioner Church takes off his shade, revealing his blue eyes, as he said, "Well, at this moment, we don't have insight on the suspect inside. But from eye witnesses and camera footage, the suspect has taken two hostages inside. A girl in white clothing and a boy with black, shaggy hair."_

" _So do the VPD have a plan yet to save the hostages inside?" Lisa asked._

" _First, we follow standard procedures. We've created a perimeter around the area, making sure no one goes in or out of the scene. Then try to establish a line of communication with the suspect in order to negotiate. If said procedure doesn't work then we'll have to send in the swat team."_

 _Everyone in the cafe is in shock, except Kasumi, at the news report. Blake and Ruby stared at Yang as she chuckled nervously and said, "Uhh...I guess they're in a tight situation?"_

" _Are you serious?! A pun?! Weiss and Kurokuu are in danger! We have to go save them!" Blake panicked as she rushed towards the door._

 _Ruby jumped in and said, "Blake, we can't enter the area, you heard what the commissioner said."_

" _But they don't know who they're dealing with! For all we know, it could be a White Fang member!"_

" _Blake, just calm down! We can't jump to conclusions just yet!" Yang shouted._

" _Calm down?! How can I if there is a White Fang member keeping our teammates hostages?!" Blake said in a worried tone. Blake looked at Kasumi and said, "Ms. Akarui, aren't you worried about Kurokuu?"_

 _Kasumi stayed quiet for a moment until she clapped her hands together and said, "Oh, right! Kurokuu and Weiss must be starving! I should make some food!"_

" _EHH!" Team R(W)BY shouted in shock._

" _How can you be so nonchalant about this?!" Blake asked._

 _Kasumi pulls out some bento boxes as she said, "Well, Kurokuu has been in much worse situations than this. And I know my little brother. When the world tries to bring him down, he keeps moving forward, even when he doesn't realizes that he needs help once in awhile." Kasumi then stuffs each of the boxes with rice, sausage, shiitake mushrooms, green beans, and potatoes. She puts all of the bento boxes in a bag as she said, "Well, shall we get going?"_

* * *

 _Meanwhile at the docks, a fisherman is standing at the edge of the water, waiting for a fish to get the bait. He stares at the water until the fisherman notices the string on his fishing pole shaking intensely. The fisherman jumps with joy and grabs the fish pole as he shouted, "YES! I GOT A BIG BITE TODAY!"_

 _He spins the crank fast, attempting to reel in what he caught. But when the tugging stopped, the fisherman lost hope, thinking that the bite got away. He was about to sit back down until the whale imagin jumped out of the water and smacked the fisherman out cold._ " _ **Contract...almost...done…"**_ _The whale imagin said as he stumbles across the docks._

* * *

 _Back on the Den-Liner, Mai and Momotaros are pulling at each other while the rest of the imagins were off doing their own thing. They kept going at each other until Momotaros stops and said_ _ **, "Here it is! The smell of an imagin! Hey, didn't you say so? I can enter Kurokuu if my opponent is an imagin, right?"**_

 _Mai didn't budge as she said_ _ **, "It doesn't have to be you! I can ask the others instead of you!"**_

 _Momotaros panicked until he walked towards the sleeping Kintaros and slapped him on the head._ " _ **The bear is hibernating."**_ _Momotaros said as he walked towards Urataros and Naomi._ " _ **The turtle is flirting."**_ _Momotaros walks to Ryutaros and said_ _ **, "And he's too dangerous!"**_ _Momotaros walks towards Naomi and said_ _ **, "I'm the only reliable one, right?"**_

 _Mai stared at Momotaros' shit eating grin until she gave up and said, "Do what you want."_

 _Momotaros rubbed his hands together and said_ _ **, "Then I will!"**_ _With that, Momotaros turns translucent and on his way to Kurokuu._

* * *

Weiss and I waited patiently for Mai to come as the thief tied us up together. Suddenly, I feel Momotaros taking over as he said **, "Ore...SANJOU!"** As Momotaros said that, he broke free out of the ropes. Weiss stood back up and pulled Myrtenaster out as Momotaros said **, "I'll start with you."**

The thief shook in fear as he pointed the gun at Momotaros and said, "What're you doing? Stay back!" The thief stumbled onto the ground, right when Mai enters through the door.

"What are you doing?! If you don't hurry the train will depart! Go!" Mai warned as she kept her arrow on the thief.

The thief pointed the gun at Momotaros, but Weiss came in just in time for her to conjure an ice block around his hand. Weiss glared at Momotaros and said, "You dolt, what are you waiting for? Just go, we'll keep him in check!"

Momotaros groaned as he said **, "He's my prey too! Be sure to leave him for me!"** With that, Momotaros entered the door to the Sands of Time. The Den-Liner is waiting for us as we entered inside and go wherever Momotaros is taking me.

'Momotaros, what's going on?' I asked.

" **Imagin appeared at the docks."** Momotaros said. He chuckles to himself as he said **, "Finally, a fight just for me!"**

I gazed at my surroundings and recognized Urataros and Kintaros. But there was one I didn't recognize. 'Is that Ryutaros?' I asked.

Momotaros groans and said **, "Yep, that's the brat that possessed you."**

I stared at Ryutaros and asked Momotaros, 'Did you guys find out why he's here?'

" **The runt said that he possessed you because of two reasons. The first being that he needs to kill you."**

'Strange, if he wanted to kill me then why possess me? Wouldn't that just kill all of us including himself?'

" **Which leads me to my next point, he possessed you because he says that possessing you is a 'good thing.'"**

'What does he mean by that?'

Momotaros was about to answer until he said **, "Questions later. Now, for the battle I've been waiting for!"** Momotaros jumped off the Den-Liner and ran towards a random door. The door lead us to the docks with the imagin stumbling in front of us. Momotaros charged at the imagin as he shouted **, "There he is! There he is! There he is!"**

The imagin turns towards us, revealing him to have a whale motif. " **What?"** The whale imagin said as he leans his body to the left.

Momotaros stops running as he did his signature pose while saying **, "Ore...sanjou!"**

" **You...have…"** Momotaros made a sound of confusion because of the whale imagin's slow speech pattern. " **become...Den-O?"**

Momotaros looked irritated as he said **, "What an irritating guy! If you want to say something, then hurry up and say it!"**

The whale imagin isn't fazed by Momotaros' words as he said **, "Den-O will...cry in...pain…"**

Once the whale imagin utter that single word, I could hear Kintaros calling out **, 'CRY!'**

Momotaros starts to panic as he said to Kintaros **, "No! It's not cry! Bear boy, just go back to sleep!"**

That didn't stop him as I felt Kintaros possessing my body and kicking Momotaros out. Kintaros looks at the whale imagin and said **, "You'll cry!"**

I hear Momotaros shouting **, 'Bear boy...I'm going to remember this!'**

Kintaros ignored him as he pulled the Den-O belt out and wrapped it around my waist. He clicks the yellow button as it played a calm instrumental tune. Kintaros claps his hands together with the pass and gets into a sumo stance as he said **, "Henshin."** He swipes the pass over the belt as it called out.

 **AXE FORM**

The armor materializes as the yellow pieces of the armor combined along with it. The faceplate connected with the helmet, creating the visor. Tissue paper appears from thin air as Kintaros stands back up and said **, "My strength has made you cry!"** Kintaros cracks his neck before gesturing to the tissue papers above him and said **, "Wipe your tears with these!"**

" **Wipe? Wipe…"** The whale imagin said as Kintaros formed his axe. Kintaros rushes in on the imagin, but he quickly sprays a jet of water from his mouth. The pressure was extremely powerful as it kept Kintaros in his place. Kintaros got pushed by slightly, only for him to slowly get back up and push his way through. Kintaros shouts a battle cry before jumping up and doing a downward strike on the whale imagin.

The whale imagin stumbles back as Kintaros went in for a strike across the stomach. The whale imagin backed up near the docks as he said **, "Run!"** The whale imagin jumps into the water, making his escape.

Kintaros stops chasing after him as he said **, "My strength has made you run!"**

'Kintaros, don't you think we should go after him?' I asked.

" **I would. But I would sink the moment I jump in the water."** Kintaros replied.

'Well, I should get back and help Mai and Weiss. I hope they're okay.'

" **They're capable of handling themselves. Now, let's get you back. I'll see you back on the Den-Liner."** Kintaros said before jumping out of my body.

I breathed heavily as the Den-O armor dematerialized. I regained my composure as I walked to a nearby door. As I opened and entered the Sands of Time, the Den-Liner is already on standby to pick me up. I entered inside and saw Momotaros and Kintaros about to fight each other. " **You...That was supposed to be my fight! And you let the imagin get away!"** Momotaros said angrily. The only response Momotaros got was Kintaros snoring in his sleep. " **Grrrrahhhh! Oi, Bear boy! Stop sleeping and fight me!"**

Knowing what'll happen next, I intervened and said, "Momotaros, not now." I turned to Ryutaros, who was drawing, and asked, "So you must be Ryutaros?"

Ryutaros turns around and said cheerfully **, "Yep, that's me!"**

I sat in front of him and said, "I heard about what you're trying to do to me."

" **Yep."** Ryutaros said cheerfully. " **But, I decided not to kill you. And in exchange, I want to stay here."**

"Why? What's with the sudden change in heart?" I questioned.

" **Because of her!"** Ryutaros said as he showed me something quite chilling to me. A picture of him and my sister holding hands. My heart started racing as I struggled to say something. " **Onee-chan is really something. So kind. So pretty."**

I calmed down slightly as the only thing I managed to say was, "You...What do you want with Kasumi? Leave her out of this."

Ryutaros looked at me weirdly and said **, "What are you talking about? I'd never hurt Onee-chan. She's special to me. If I killed you, Onee-chan would be in so much pain. So that's why I decided not to kill you."**

I felt a sudden relief at what Ryutaros said. At least Kasumi wouldn't get hurt. If anything happened to her because of me, I would never forgive myself. I looked at Ryutaros and asked, "So that's it? You're not gonna try to hurt me or anyone?"

" **No, not really."** Ryutaros said. " **If anything, I would play imagins since they're fun to play around with."**

The Den-Liner slowed down to a halt, indicating that my stop is here. I looked at Ryutaros one last time and said, "Well, it's nice meeting you, Ryutaros." As I walked out, I leaned over to Momotaros and Urataros and said, "Guys, for now on, you guys are keeping watch on Ryutaros. Just in case he goes out of control again."

" **Hai, hai. We got it, Kurokuu. There's nothing to worry about."** Urataros reassured.

" **Yeah, that brat will know his place."** Momotaros said confidently.

"Thanks guys. Now, I gotta go help Mai and Weiss." I said to them before boarding off the Den-Liner.

I walked through the Sands of Time until I found the door. I open said door which revealed Mai and Weiss watching over the unconscious thief. "So I see you guys already handled it." I said to grab Mai's and Weiss' attention.

Mai turned around and said, "Kurokuu, why are you here? You could've escaped."

"Not while leaving you guys behind." I replied. I stared at the unconscious thief for a moment until I reached into his pockets to grab my wallet out.

I stared at my wallet and was about to say something until I felt a barrel of a gun behind me. "Don't move!" The voice behind me said. I slowly turned around and saw that it was the bathhouse owner. Seriously? Again?! Can't I ever catch a break?! "I said don't move!" The bathhouse owner shouted.

Weiss and Mai pulled their weapons out as Mai said, "What are you doing? Why are you doing this?"

"I'm sorry...But the police are after me too. I can't leave if the police swarms the place."

Weiss isn't having any of what the bathhouse owner is saying as she said, "This is ridiculous. And how is shooting any of us gonna help you escape?"

The bathhouse owner tap the barrel of the gun on my shoulder as he said, "I know that he has that black thing that allows him to move in and out of this place." He turn off the safety and said to me, "You, hand it over."

"You won't be able to use it." Mai lied.

"I don't care. Desperate times, calls for desperate measures. So just hand the thing over." The bathhouse owner said.

Silence filled the air as tension rise between us. But the tension was cut short when we heard loud noise coming from the storage room in the bathing area. We all turned around and saw Team R(W)BY barging inside the building. "Don't worry guys! Team R(W)BY is here!" Ruby shouted as she raised Crescent Rose in the air.

The bathhouse owner jumped as he points the gun at them and said, "Freeze! Don't move!"

Blake quickly uses Gambol Shroud's ribbons and pulled the gun out of his hands. The bathhouse owner attempted to get the gun back, but the sound of Ember Celica cocking stopped him in his place. "Lay a finger on Blake, you're dead!" Yang threaten as her eyes change from lilac to red.

The tense atmosphere returned once again, but it was disrupted once again by a voice. "Excuse me?" I turned to the source of the sound and saw Kasumi walking in calmly. "Umm... is Kurokuu here?" She made eye contact with me and said gleefully, "Kurokuu, Weiss, you're both okay!"

"Yeah, we're fine." I said.

Kasumi looks towards Mai and said, "Mai, you're here too? Hello!"

"Hello" Mai replied.

I cleared my throat and asked, "Kasumi, how did you get in here?"

"It took awhile with the swat team waiting outside." Kasumi replied. "But, your friends and I managed to sneak through the back."

"Wait what? Swat team?" I asked myself. I rushed towards the window and saw the swat team moving in, guns loaded. "Guys, we have a problem."

"What is it?" Weiss asked.

"The VPD is sending in their swat team. If they enter, we'll all get caught in it."

"So what do we do? We can't fight our way out." Blake said.

As Team RWBY and Mai were discussing on how to escape, I hear Momotaros saying **, 'Kurokuu, leave it to me!'**

I looked around to make sure that Kasumi wasn't looking at me and walked towards the corner. I whispered to Momotaros, "Yeah, but you would get caught by Kasumi. You're aren't the most subtle person." Then an idea sparked in my head. "I have an idea. Urataros, can you help me?"

' **If the fish has a heart, then so does the water.'** Urataros said before hopping into my body. Team RWBY and Mai looked up and saw the possession occur. Mai and Weiss ran up to Urataros to cover him while Ruby, Blake, and Yang distract Kasumi. Urataros readjusts his glasses as he said **, "Won't you...let me...string you along?"**

"Urataros, why are you here?" Mai whispered.

" **I'm here to buy you guys some time. Now, I need to make a call."** Urataros said as he pulls out my scroll from my pockets.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, outside of the bathhouse, the VPD Swat team were ready to move in on Commissioner Church's call. News crew and civilians all gathered around the perimeter as they watch and record the raid take place. Commissioner Church holds up the walkie-talkie as he asked, "Is everyone ready?"_

 _He waited for the response until one of the police officer said, "Commissioner Church, a call from the hostage."_

" _From the hostage?" The Commissioner said out loud. Commissioner Church walked towards his car and grabs his scroll while everyone else gathered around him. He clears his throat and answers the call, "Commissioner Church here."_

" _ **Commissioner. Please stop the raid immediately."**_ _Urataros said._

" _What?! There is an armed man inside there, are you stupid?!"_

 _Urataros chuckled as he said_ _ **, "If you don't, the media will learn about Allison."**_

 _The Commissioner froze for a bit before saying, "Did you say Allison?" He closes the car door, making sure no one else hears the conversation. "How do you know about that?" Commissioner Church asked in a harsh tone._

 _Urataros laughed as he said_ _ **, "It was fun, wasn't it? A late night drink with her? You secretly tried to surprise her with a proposal by hiding the ring in her drink. But that didn't go well now did it?"**_

 _Commissioner Church stood in fear until one of the police officer knocked on the door and asked, "Sir, what about the raid?"_

 _Commissioner Church cleared his throat as he said, "Cancel it! Cancel it right now!" The police officer nodded as he alerted the swat team to call off the raid._

* * *

Mai stared out the window as she saw the swat team pulling back. "Whew, that was too close." Mai said with relief.

" **Looks like me job is done."** Urataros said before leaving my body.

Everyone in the room seemed to settle down, except Blake. Blake walked towards the bathhouse owner and grabbed by the shirt. "Who are you?! Do you work with the White Fang?!" Blake interrogated.

The bathhouse owner shook in fear as he replied, "My name is Matsuda and I don't work with the White Fang!"

Blake didn't seemed convince as she asked, "Why were you trying to hurt my friends?!"

"I was scared! I feared that the police found me and I need the kid's black thing to escape!" The bathhouse owner, now dubbed Matsuda, replied.

I decided to intervene and said, "Blake, he's telling the truth. He just acted out of fear. Just let him go."

Blake let the bathhouse owner go as he looked down at the unconscious thief and slaps him awake. The thief screamed loudly as Blake asked, "And you, who are you?"

Mai joined in on the interrogation as she asked, "Now that you mentioned it, Blake. Why did you hide up here?"

The thief looked slightly frightened as he answered, "Uhhh...I lost my job a while ago and I was starting to lose liens. I couldn't find a job and I was getting desperate so I resorted to stealing. But then, I saw this kid walking around with the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. So I assumed he had a lot of money like her and stole his wallet, only to find out that he had nothing."

"So wait, what's with all the talk about being a big, bad robber?" I asked.

The thief scratched his head nervously and said, "I got a bit carried away. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt anyone of you."

"You punched me in the groin and tried to shoot me!"

"Well, if it makes it any better, the rounds are fake."

My eye twitched as I said, "Fake...rounds?"

"Yep, he's right." Yang said as she pulled the magazine out, revealing the fake rounds. "These are blank rounds. The worse thing they could do is give you bruises."

I hung my head low in embarrassment until Kasumi said, "Well, now that we got everything cleared up, why don't we all eat? I brought plenty of bentos for everyone."

Everyone agreed as we all sat around the table. Kasumi passed out the bentos to everyone as she said, "I hope the food is good. I had to use what little stuff I have left."

As she said that, I completely forgot about something. "Crap! I left the groceries behind!" I said out loud.

"It's okay, Kurokuu. I'll buy the groceries myself next time." Kasumi reassures.

Kasumi, Matsuda, the thief, and I clapped our hands together and said simultaneously, "Itadakimasu!" Everyone began to dig in with their meal.

As we were eating, Matsuda stared at the gun and said, "Fake rounds and hostages moving freely. It's kinda pointless to keep this up now."

"Yeah, I think it's a good idea. But, we can't move anywhere with the cops around us." I said.

"Well, on the bright side, we're spending quality time together, right?" Ruby said.

Kasumi smiled as she said, "Ruby, you are just like Kurokuu when he was younger. Always finding the positive even in bad situations."

"Yeah, it's something my mom will always tell me. It made her smile when I was happy so I try to be happy as much as possible." Ruby said.

I took a sip of water as I asked Matsuda, "So Matsuda, why are the police after you?"

Matsuda takes a bite from a potato as he explained, "Me? The company I used to work for suspected me of stealing their money. Although I have no memory of it, the president insisted that he'd take it straight to the court. I got mad and left. Never saw him again." Matsuda pulls out his scroll and shows the picture of him and the president together.

"So you were falsely accused?" Weiss asked.

"I'm so sorry, Matsuda. I wonder if the president has the wrong idea, perhaps?" Kasumi said to Matsuda.

" **I think so too!"** I turned away from Kasumi, making sure they didn't see or hear what just happened.

"What's wrong?" Kasumi asked.

"Oh, it's nothing…" I reassured.

Matsuda stood up from his seat and faced everyone as he said, "I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused. Goodbye."

Matsuda was ready to walk out the door until Kasumi stops him and said, "Wait! If you leave now, your name won't be cleared."

Ruby joins in as she said, "You don't deserve to be arrested. You haven't done anything wrong at all!"

Matsuda was in deep thought until Kasumi said, "Let just hang in there until we find a solution for you."

Matsuda looked conflicted as he mutter, "But…"

Kasumi smiles as she looks up and said, "You can only see the stars when everything is clear."

Matsuda looked shocked at her words as he looks towards us. Everyone gave him their support, especially Ruby. He smiles as he walks away from the door and sits on the couch. Everyone continued finishing their meals as I stared outside the window. 'It's gonna take awhile.' I said to myself before walking away from the window.

* * *

 _It was a slow and relatively quiet night at Junior's nightclub. Few people here and there chatting to each other and having fun. And as always, Junior is hard at work being the only bartender at the bar._ _He sighs tiredly as he scrubs the stains off the beer glass._

 _But suddenly, someone screamed loudly as the whale imagin entered the club. The people all evacuated as Junior's men surround the imagin. They raised their guns and were ready to fire, but the whale imagin fired high pressured water at all of them. They fell back as Junior groans and said, "Looks like I have to do everything by myself." He grabs a club under the counter as he jumps in and whacks the whale imagin in the head._

 _The whale imagin rubs his head slowly as he said_ _ **, "Ow..."**_

" _Oh, I'll show you pain!" Junior shouted before charging straight into battle._

* * *

Everyone was fast asleep once night came. I yawned loudly and was ready to sleep until I heard Urataros saying **, 'Kuro-chan. There's an imagin attack."**

I groaned as I asked, "Really? Now?"

' **Yep, the imagin is at some nightclub.'**

I sighed tiredly and said, "Alright, let's get it over with." Then I felt Urataros take over my body as he walks towards the closet door and opens it to the Sands of Time. We walked across the wasteland until we found the door which lead to the nightclub. We entered inside and saw the whale imagin holding a bearded man by the neck.

The whale imagin turns to me and asked **, "You...again?"**

Urataros didn't respond as he pulls the Den-O belt out and wrapped it around him. He press the blue button as it played an aquatic tune. He swipes the pass over the belt as it called out.

 **ROD FORM**

" **Henshin."** Urataros said as the armor materializes and the armor pieces and faceplate combine with it. " **Mind if I reel you in?"** Urataros asked.

The whale imagin let go of the bearded man as he asked **, "What...is...that?"**

Urataros sighed as he assembled his weapon and said **, "Honestly, I'm getting impatient with you."** He stands in front of the imagin with his rod ready as he goes in for a strike, but the whale imagin blocked it with a staff that he pulled out of nowhere.

Urataros swings the rod backhanded but the whale imagin ducks before it happened. The whale imagin just stared at Urataros as he slashes him across the chest. He stumbles back as Urataros swings diagonally, but the whale imagin dodges it. Urataros then goes in for a downward strike, but he dodges it again. Luckily, Urataros catches the whale imagin off guard by thrusting him in the stomach.

The whale imagin falls on the ground as he said **, "Ow...that...hurts."**

" **Now, let's go!"** Urataros said as he goes in for a downward strike, but the whale imagin quickly blocks it with his staff. Urataros quickly thrusts the imagin as sparks come off of him. Urataros was ready to go in for the kill, but the whale imagin fired high pressured water at him.

Urataros rolls away and gets back up as he saw the whale imagin running away. " **I always get the catch."** Urataros said as he ran after the imagin.

'Urataros, do you know where he is?' I asked.

" **He's going towards the dock."** Urataros replied. He kept on running until he made it towards the dock. Urataros looks around cautiously, making sure he doesn't get attacked. Then a crate fell over as Urataros turns around and points his rod at it.

"Stop! Please don't hurt me!" A voice called out. The person stands up and reveals to be some old man.

Urataros lowers his guard as he said **, "You should be more careful next time when you try to hide."**

"Thanks I guess." The old man said before walking away. I looked at the old man one more time as I recalled the photo Matsuda showed us. He's the president!

'Urataros, let me talk to him real quick.' I said.

" **Okay, good luck."** Urataros said before exiting my body.

The armor dematerialized as I caught up with the president and asked, "Wait, do you know anyone by the name of Matsuda?"

The president thinks about what I said until he said, "That guy! That thief who decided to take my company's money?! If you're with him, I want nothing to do with you! Get lost!"

As he slowly walks away, sand starts seeping through his clothes. "He's a contract holder?!" I said out loud before I felt Ryutaros taking over my body. Ryutaros skips towards the president as I asked, 'Ryutaros, what're you doing?'

He didn't answer as he catches up to the president and grabs him by the shoulder. " **You're in the way. Mind if I erase you?"**

"What?" The president asked.

I started panicking as I said, 'Ryutaros, stop!'

" **I can't hear you!"** Ryutaros said as he wraps the Den-O belt around him. He clicks the purple button, which played a hip hop tune, as Ryutaros said **, "Henshin."** The president stumbles back as Ryutaros swipes the pass over the belt.

 **GUN FORM**

The armor materialized as the armor pieces and faceplate combine with it. Ryutaros walks slowly towards the president while he assembles the gun. 'Stop it!' I shouted. But Ryutaros didn't care as he proceeded to fire his gun at the president. 'Ryutaros, stop!' I shouted again, only to be ignored once more. Ryutaros fired his gun again, but this time, the whale imagin appeared in front of the president and protected him from the gunfire.

The whale imagin turns to the president as he said **, "Run!"** The president quickly complied as he ran for his life.

The whale imagin charges towards Ryutaros, but he evades the attack. " **Don't get in the way."** Ryutaros said as he actively dodges the incoming attacks. The whale imagin thrusts with his staff, but Ryutaros redirects the attack and fires at him, point blank. Then the Ryutaros kicks the imagin in the stomach before pointing his gun at him, but the whale imagin dodges the gunfire and manages to sweep kick Ryutaros. The imagin was ready to stab Ryutaros, but he redirects the attack once more with his feet before unleashing a hail of bullets on him.

" **Mind if I defeat you?"** Ryutaros said as he keeps on shooting the whale imagin. The whale imagin was able to recover by shooting a stream of water at Ryutaros, but he moves out of the way and fires once more. Ryutaros continues to do so until he manages to land a hit on the imagin. " **This is the last one. Okay?"** Ryutaros said as he places the pass over the belt.

 **FULL CHARGE**

Ryutaros let go of the pass as he points his gun at the imagin. A ball of purple energy formed at the barrel of the gun as Ryutaros pulls the trick, unleashing it on the imagin. The entire warehouse exploded as the whale imagin shouted his final breath. 'Ryutaros, the imagin is gone. Let's just calm down and stop this.' I said to Ryutaros.

He didn't listen to me again as he skips around, looking for the president. We saw him hiding behind a barrel as Ryutaros said **, "Found you."** Ryutaros proceeded to shoot the president, who managed to avoid the gunfire.

'Ryutaros, STOP!' I shouted as Ryutaros continued shooting. He stops firing for a moment to see if the president is still standing. Luckily, the president managed to escape Ryutaros' wrath.

" **Dang it, he's gone. Oh well, see ya'!"** Ryutaros said as he left my body, causing the armor to dematerialize. He breathed heavily as I took a moment to rest. 'Why would Ryutaros attack the president for?' I thought to myself. And now, he's has a lot to answer for.

* * *

I entered in the dining car and saw everyone here except Ryutaros. "Hey guys, where's Ryutaros?" I asked.

" **I don't know. I thought he was still with you."** Momotaros replied.

"No, he left me after the entire fiasco." I said. "Strange, why would Ryutaros attack the president for?"

" **I don't know. But the kid has been giving everyone here a bad vibe since the start."**

Urataros joined in as he commented **, "Honestly, what is going on in his head?"**

" **There's nothing up there to understand. Right?!"** Kintaros said before falling back to sleep again.

Momotaros leans against the counter as he sips a cup of coffee and said **, "When I see the brat, I'm gonna show him who's boss."**

As he said that, sand came off of me as it formed into Ryutaros. Ryutaros stood behind the counter with Naomi as he asked **, "Is that any fun?"**

Momotaros chokes on his drink as he turns around and shouts **, "You…!"**

"Ryutaros, how were you in me the entire time without me noticing?" I asked.

Ryutaros taps his chin until he said **, "I don't know. But I can tell you something, you're basically a human house just for me to live in!"**

Momotaros stands on top of the counter as he said **, "Hey! Don't forget about me! I'm gonna enjoy beating you into a bloody pulp!"**

Naomi isn't taking any of this as she said, "Momotaros, get down!"

Momotaros just ignored Naomi as he was ready to attack, but Ryutaros quickly grabs Momotaros' coffee and splashed it over his face. Momotaros screamed in agony as Ryutaros said **, "You're too slow!"** Then Ryutaros jumps inside my body, but not possessing me at all.

Momotaros rubs his eyes for a bit until he stopped and noticed that Ryutaros disappeared. " **GRAHHHHH! YOU BRAT!"** Momotaros shouted as he grabbed my shirt and shook me back and forth.

"Momotaros, stop shaking me!" I asked Momotaros.

Momotaros lets go of me as he groans and shouted **, "This brat is pissing me off! Trying to make a fool out of me!"**

 **Senpai, you don't need any help to make yourself more foolish that you already are."** Urataros said jokingly.

" **Shut it, turtle-soup!"** Momotaros retorted.

"Guys, let's just drop this. The imagin is gone and we can handle this Ryutaros situation later. For now, I gotta go back and check with the others." I said to Momotaros and Urataros.

" **Go on then. Don't wanna keep them waiting, now do we?"** Urataros said. I nodded to them before exiting out of the dining car and off the Den-Liner.

* * *

 _The president sat quietly in the warehouse as he thought about what happened. The kid who attacked him, Matsuda, the monster. What did it all mean?_ " _ **Very soon...the contract...will be fulfilled."**_ _A voice muttered._

 _The president looked around for the source of the voice as he asked, "W-What are you talking about?! Who are you?!"_

 _He looks around until he sees the monster from before, standing in the corner._ " _ **Do not forget...that past…"**_ _The monster said before disappearing into sand. The president is confused by what the monster meant by not forgetting the past until he remembers the day the company's money disappearing. And this caused him to get more questions than answers as he struggled to remember what happened._

* * *

I found the bathhouse closet door and entered inside. It was already morning as I saw Team RWBY, Mai, Kasumi, Matsuda, and the thief all getting ready for breakfast. Kasumi sees me and said, "Kurokuu, there you are! I didn't see you earlier. Where were you?"

"Oh, I was taking a bath. I just felt like I needed to get cleaned up." I lied.

"I see. Well, come join with us for breakfast. We're having ramen." Kasumi said as she placed the bowls down for everyone. I nodded as I sat where Team RWBY and Mai are.

Mai leaned over towards me and asked, "Kurokuu, what happened?"

"Last night, there was an imagin attack. I found out that the contractor was Matsuda's old boss."

"Did you find out why he made the contract?" Blake asked.

"No. I was going to until Ryutaros took over my body and tried to kill him."

"What!" Mai whispered sharply.

"Then the imagin came back, but Ryutaros managed to kill it. But even though the imagin is dead, he still kept on going after the president."

"So where is he now?" Yang asked.

"He's inside me. He's hiding from Momotaros." I said as I touched my chest.

"What are you gonna do now?" Weiss asked. "If he gets out again, he could kill the president."

"I don't know. But for now, I'll try to keep Ryutaros under control." I said.

I turned my head and saw Kasumi pouring ramen in everybody's bowl as she said, "Everyone dig in! I'm sorry if we have this for breakfast since this is the only thing Matsuda has for everyone."

"No problem at all Ms. A! I love eating ramen!" Yang said as she split the wooden chopsticks into two and began to chow down.

We all ate happily until we heard sirens blaring out outside. I finished the ramen as I asked, "What's the heck is going on?" I stood up and walked towards the curtain. I lifted it slightly as I saw the swat team waiting outside. I panicked as I said, "Guys, the swat team is back!"

Matsuda and the thief panicked and checked the perimeter of the building. Matsuda stood still as he said, "They have us surrounded. All we can do now is surrender ourselves."

Ruby didn't like the sound of that as she said, "But, you can't leave now! We haven't thought of a way to clear you yet!"

"I'm sorry kiddo. But this is the only way."

"Matsuda, wait. You can't lose hope just yet. The star will be there to guide you as well as the others." Kasumi said, trying to stop Matsuda from giving up. But everyone else in the room realizes the situation they're in.

I could see the hopelessness on Matsuda's face as he slowly approached the front door. "Oh man, what can I do?" I asked myself. Suddenly, I felt this pain in my chest as Ryutaros took over my body. 'Ryutaros, what're you-'

" **Onee-chan is in trouble."** Ryutaros said as he got up.

All of Team RWBY and Mai notices my sudden change in appearance as Mai asked, "Ryutaros, what're you doing?!"

Ryutaros didn't say anything as he pushed Matsuda away from the door and open it himself. He was met with the entire swat team, standing right in front of him. Ryutaros snaps his fingers as hip hop music plays out of nowhere.

 _ **(Cue~Climax Jump-HIPHOP Ver.)**_

Then inside the crowd, a group of men in black and red suits appears and starts breakdancing to the music. Ryutaros dances his way towards the caution tape and cuts it as he rejoins with the other dancers. They all moved in sync with the beat until Ryutaros performed a windmill. Ryutaros got back up and pointed at the sky, which caused everyone to point with him. Commissioner Church snapped out of his trance as he shouted, "Who the hell are you?!" Ryutaros didn't respond as he snapped his fingers together. At that moment, everyone left the crime scene, with the commissioner being the only one still standing. "Hey! Where are you going?! Get back here! Who are you?!" Commissioner Church shouted as Ryutaros dances back into the bathhouse.

" **Yay! That was fun!"** Ryutaros exclaimed before hopping out of my body.

I breathed heavily as I said, "What...What just happened?"

Team RWBY and Mai met up with me as Ruby exclaimed, "Wow, that was awesome! You were busting out these awesome moves and everyone is just under your control!"

"Thank Ryutaros for that." I said with relief.

Kasumi walked in with a plate of what seems to be doughnut holes. "Gather around everyone! I managed to whip up something with what Matsuda has left so we can have desert!" Kasumi said excitedly as she set the plate of doughnut holes.

Ruby looked ecstatic as she said, "Ooh! I love doughnut holes!" We all gathered around and grabbed ourselves at doughnut hole. We all took a bite for the doughnut hole, and at this moment we knew, we were screwed.

We all immediately spat the doughnut holes out, except Matsuda and Kasumi. I coughed violently as I said, "Kasumi...is that...wasabi?"

Kasumi nodded yes as she pulled out wasabi paste and said, "Yep. I couldn't find anything to fill the doughnut holes with except wasabi. And it is good for fighting of bacteria in your body so…"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean edible." Yang muttered as she spat the wasabi out.

I rubbed my nose as I saw Matsuda still eating the burning wasabi doughnut holes while crying. I laid my hand on his shoulder and said, "Um...you don't need to force yourself. Even if it's wasabi filled doughnut holes."

Matsuda wiped his tears away as he said, "That's not it." He sat on the couch and said, "Back when I was starting at the company, the president would always treat me by making handmade doughnut holes. It was hard in the beginning, but he had high hopes for me. But now…" Matsuda stops for a moment as he eats the whole hole. He rubs his nose as he said, "This wasabi is sure tough…"

I sighed as grabbed a napkin and wiped the wasabi left on my face. "Matsuda, I'll go talk to the president. For now, just wait and keep holding on to hope." Matsuda stands up and looks at me with gratefulness in his eyes before walking towards the fridge and grabbing a carton of milk to drink. Before I walked towards the door, I turned to Team RWBY and Mai and asked, "Anyone wanna come with? I'm worried that the president is still scared of me after what happened."

"We'll all go. Besides I need some time out of this bathhouse." Mai said. I nodded in confirmation as I opened the door to the Sands of Time. We walked through the wasteland until I found a manhole under us.

Mai and I lifted the manhole cover as I said, "Well...ladies first?"

Yang rolls her eyes as she pushes me in and said, "Just go."

I landed in the sewage water and shouted, "Yang, could you at least not push me in?!"

Yang ignored me as she slowly climbed her way down with the rest of Team RWBY and Mai behind her. I looked around until I saw a ladder which lead to the surface. I approached the ladder and began to climb up to the manhole. I lifted the manhole once more and saw the same warehouse at the docks. "Guys, it's clear. Climb up." I said to them as I got out of the sewers.

Everyone got out of the sewers as Yang shouted in anger, "Why do you had to pick a manhole?! Now my hair is stinky and dirty!"

"Sorry, I was trying to find the quickest way to get their without walking a few miles to get here."

Yang groaned in frustration as she straightens her hair out. As we walked into the warehouse, I whispered, "Momotaros. You there?"

' **Yeah, I'm here. What is it?'** Momotaros asked.

"I need you to do a favor. If Ryutaros takes over me again, I need you to somehow possess me long enough for you to write a message to Kasumi."

' **Why?'**

"If you tell her to say 'stop it' to me, hopefully, Ryutaros would listen and leave." I told Momotaros.

' **Alright, I'll do it. Then I'll beat the brat up myself!'** Momotaros said.

"Wait, I think I see him!" Blake notified, catching my attention.

We all looked at where Blake was and saw the president sleeping behind a bunch of crates. I walked up to him and slowly shook him awake. "Um... excuse me?" I said to the president. The president slowly woke and stared at me in fear. He yelped as he stood back up and moved away from me. "Wait, wait a moment!" I said, trying to get his attention.

"You...You attacked me!" The president said as he grabbed a pipe and pointed it at all of us. "And who are you people?! Are you here to attack me again and finish the job?!"

"No, no we're not. We just want to talk." Mai said calmly.

He didn't believe a single word until Ruby said, "Please, this is about Matsuda!"

The president stopped panicking as he said, "Matsuda?"

"I don't know why you think Matsuda would do a bad thing. I've seen how he is and he's not a bad guy! Matsuda still remembers the time when you made doughnut holes for him. Just what happened on the day the money was stolen?"

The president, still shaking in slight fear, managed to say, "You all...know Matsuda right? Why didn't Matsuda come himself?" I opened my mouth, but no words came out. "If he doesn't have the guts to do it, then doesn't that mean he did it? Right?" The president questioned.

I tried to think of a reason to give to the president for why Matsuda isn't here. But suddenly, I feel Ryutaros taking over my body once more. The president screamed as Ryutaros glared at him and said **, "I think you're in the way after all."**

'Ryutaros, stop it right now!' I said to Ryutaros. The president immediately flee from Ryutaros as he walks menacingly towards him.

Weiss and Mai grabbed Ryutaros by the arm as Weiss shouted, "Kurokuu, come on! Fight the imagin!"

I attempted to push Ryutaros out, but failed to do so. I contact Momotaros and said, 'Momotaros, you know what to do!'

' **Got it!'** Momotaros said as he jumped in my body, only to be kicked out by Ryutaros. Ryutaros broke free of Weiss' and Mai's grasp as he continued to make his way towards the president. Ruby then ran circles around Ryutaros, keeping him confined. I heard Momotaros growl as he said **, "Damn it!"** Once again, I felt Momotaros enter my body once more, but Ryutaros kicked him out again. Ruby began to tire and slowly started to slow down. Ryutaros sees this opportunity as he pushes Ruby aside and goes after the president once more. Then Blake pulled out Gambol shroud and used the ribbons to tie Ryutaros up. I heard Momotaros groan in pain as he said **, 'I'm…really gonna die like this.'**

Ryutaros continued to struggle out of the ribbons as I said, 'Ryutaros, stop it! You're attack the president for Matsuda, right? But that's wrong! We can't help Matsuda until we clear the misunderstanding with the president. Kasumi would be sad!"

Ryutaros stops struggling as he said **, "Onee-chan? Sad?"**

' **At least...just the right hand…'** I heard Momotaros mutter as I felt Momotaros taking over my right hand. Ryutaros saw the possession occur as he attempts to kick Momotaros out, but that didn't stop him. Momotaros managed to grab my scroll from my pockets and sent her the message.

Then I felt Momotaros' possession over my arm is gone as Ryutaros said **, "Don't interfere!"** Then my scroll starting ringing as the icon showed a picture of Kasumi's face.

Ryutaros answers the call and heard Kasumi saying, "Kurokuu, stop it?"

Ryutaros smiled as he said **, "Okay, Onee-chan."**

Then I felt Ryutaros leave my body as I said to Momotaros, "Momotaros...thanks…"

Momotaros breathed heavily as he replied **, 'Yeah...piece of cake…'**

Weiss ran towards me as she shouted, "Kurokuu, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. So, can you take the ribbons off now?" I asked.

Blake complied as she untied my from her ribbons. I stood back up, but immediately stumbled to the ground. Yang picked me up as she said, "Woah there, take it easy. You had a lot happening to you."

"Thanks Yang." I stood back up with the help of Yang and limped towards the president. "I'm so sorry. I'm really, really sorry for what just happened."

The president breathed erratically as he said, "To be honest, I don't remember if Matsuda stole the company's money or not."

"Wait, what? What do you mean you don't know?!" Weiss asked.

"I was drunk that time. I don't remember anything. Then I remember during my hangover, I asked the monster for something. To fix the problems with my drinking habit."

"I see." I said to the president. "But why suddenly remember now?"

"The monster from before appeared earlier and told me that."

I stared at him in shock as I said, "Wait, earlier?"

"Yeah, he said something about some contract. Just what is going on?!" The president asked.

"Kurokuu, didn't Ryutaros destroy the imagin?!" Weiss asked.

I scratched my head anxiously as I said, "I thought he did. It looked like he survived." I put his arms over my shoulders and asked, "If the imagin is trying to stop your drinking habits, maybe he's trying to find the place that you drink at and destroy it to make you stop. Do you know any places you normally drink at?"

The president thinks about it and said, "Oh, I usually drink at the Simple Wok to Noodle House place, which is just a few blocks away from here."

"Okay, lead the way." I said. We followed the president as he walks in the direction to the noodle house. We turned right and saw the chef being thrown out through the window by the whale imagin.

All of Team RWBY and Mai pulled their weapons out as Ruby said, "Freeze! Don't move!"

The whale imagin turns to us as he said slowly **, "Den-O...you brought allies...to fight with. Soon you will all...see your end."** He stared at the president and said **, "Contract complete."**

The president opens up his memory as the whale imagin jumped back in time. Mai pulled out the card and places it near his head. The whale imagin appeared on the card with the date 3/31/2014. "March 31, 2014. Do you remember this date?"

"Y-Yeah. That was the day the company's money got stolen. What really happened that day?" The president asked.

"I don't know. But we're gonna find out." I said. I looked towards everyone and asked, "Can one of you guys stay behind and watch over the president?"

"I will. You guys get going." Mai said calmly as she helps the president up.

Team RWBY and I use the door of the restaurant to get to the Sands of Time, where the Den-Liner is already waiting in front of us. We all entered inside as I set the pass in the Den-Bird, setting our coordinates to 3/31/2014.

* * *

 _March 31, 2014_

The Den-Liner dropped us off on a bridge as we looked around for the president. "Do you see him guys?" I asked.

"No, I don't see him." Blake said.

Ruby gasped loudly as she said, "Look, there he is up there!"

We all looked to where Ruby is pointing at as we saw the president staggering towards us with the briefcase. "Money for goods." The president said drunkenly. "The center of the world is money, money, money. I can live with this money. What is this great luck?!" Our eyes widen as we saw the president throwing the briefcase full of money onto a moving truck.

My eyes twitched as I tried to process the information. 'He...threw the money...onto a moving truck.' I thought to myself. And I think I've lost some brain cells after trying to comprehend what I just saw.

I heard Weiss growling as she said, "So all this time...he threw away the money?!"

Blake groaned as she said, "Being drunk make you do stupid things."

"Man, I thought Uncle Qrow was bad." Yang muttered.

Ruby sighed tiredly as she said, "Well...case solved?"

We kept watching as we saw Matsuda walking towards the president. "President, you shouldn't be sleeping here. Come with me." Matsuda said cheerfully.

The president laughed for a bit until he looked around frantically and said, "Huh? Where's the money?"

"Money? What money?"

"The company's money! The company's money! It's gone!" The president said nervously.

"Hold on, do you remember where you last left it?" Matsuda asked as he looked around for the briefcase.

The president then eyed Matsuda suspiciously as he asked, "Matsuda. You did it, didn't you?!" Matsuda stares at the president confusingly until he began to choking and checking Matsuda. "Where are you hiding it? Bring it out! Give it!"

Then sand came off of the president as it formed into the whale imagin. Matsuda and the president both screamed at the top of their lungs before running away. Team RWBY and I rushed into battle as I shouted, "Momotaros, let's do this!" I pulled the Den-O belt out and wrapped it around me. I pressed the red button and said, "Henshin!" I swipe the pass over the belt as it called out.

 **SWORD FORM**

The armor materialized as the red pieces and faceplate appeared and combined together with the armor. Momotaros stretched his arms out as he gets into his pose and said **, "Ore sanjou!"** Momotaros quickly assembles his sword and charges straight on. Momotaros went in for a slash, but the imagin managed to block the attack with his staff and stab him in the shoulder. Ruby takes over for a bit as she said, "Weiss, White Rose!"

Weiss nodded as she uses her glyphs to launch herself in the air. Ruby began running circles around the whale imagin, keeping him trapped as Weiss descends towards the imagin and stabbing him in the head with Myrtenaster. Then Weiss summons glyphs inside the tornado as another glyph appeared under her feet, which caused her to be launched back into another glyph behind her. She readies her rapier as the glyph sent her flying into the imagin, stabbing him in the stomach. She lands onto another glyph and repeated the same process again and again, increasing the stab wounds on the imagin. Ruby slows down to a halt as she said, "Yang, Ember!"

Yang nodded as she charged towards Ruby. Yang lands on Crescent Rose as Ruby swings the weapon around before firing her gun to launch Yang towards the imagin. Yang smirked before punching the imagin straight in the stomach, creating a huge hole in his body with sand leaking out of him. The whale imagin clenched his wound as he said **, "Damn...you…"**

Ruby takes a deep breathe and said, "Momotaros, Weiss, Snow Peach!"

Momotaros and Weiss nodded as Momotaros pulled out the pass and said **, "Alright! It's time for the climax!"** He covered the belt with the pass as it called out.

 **FULL CHARGE**

As the blade shines red, Weiss conjures ice around the blade, causing the color to change from red to white. Then Weiss freezes the imagin in place as Momotaros charges towards him. When Momotaros got close enough, he slid across the ground and slashed the whale imagin in half before it exploded.

Momotaros breathed heavily for a bit until he stopped and said **, "Hey, I barely got to do anything!"**

Ruby jumped onto Momotaros' back as she said, "Don't think about it like that. Think of this as fighting as a team!"

" **Still, I only did one thing! You got to do all the good stuff!"** Momotaros complained.

'Momotaros, at least you did the climax. Doesn't that matter the most?' I said.

Momotaros sighs as he said **, "Yeah, I guess you're right. I gotta go, see ya'!** Then Momotaros jumped out of my body, causing the armor to dematerialize.

I breathed heavily as Weiss came in and helped me up. "Are you alright?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's just go back." I said to Weiss as we waited for the Den-Liner to arrive. As we looked up into the stars, I looked around and saw some guy in a brown cloak watching us from the distance, more specifically me. He stared at me before walking away. 'Who was that guy?' I asked myself. I decided to disregard at what I just saw and continued to pass the time by watching the stars until the next arrival comes.

* * *

The Den-Liner eventually came and picked us up. Mai was already on board as she gave all of us a goodbye before dropping us off in the Sands of Time. We saw the bathhouse door and entered inside. We saw Kasumi, Matsuda, and the thief talking to each other to keep themselves occupied. Kasumi looked at us and said, "Oh, you're all back! Where's Mai?"

"Oh, she had to go home." I answered.

Kasumi nodded as Matsuda stood in front of us and asked, "So...did you talk to my boss?"

"Yep." Ruby said cheerfully. "He should call you in a bit."

Once she said that, Matsuda's scroll rang as it displayed the picture of the president. He answers the call and said, "Hello?"

The call was on speaker as the president said, "Matsuda, we were able to find the money."

"The company's money was found?" Matsuda said with surprise.

"Yeah. I finally remember what happened. That time...I...threw the money away myself. Someone on the truck saw it and told me the name of the transport company."

Matsuda smiled as he said, "I see. Thank goodness."

I heard the president's voice slightly cracking as he said, "You were just trying to help me with my drinking. But, I...suspected you. Please forgive me!"

Matsuda started crying tears of joy as Weiss said, "The president felt regret for suspecting you for stealing the money. That's why he didn't file a victim report."

Matsuda managed to regain his composure as he said, "President…"

Everyone around me started to weep a little, including Weiss, as I said, "Matsuda, you aren't being chased by the police."

Kasumi wiped her tears away and said, "Matsuda, this is great news!"

The president also started crying during the call as he said, "Maybe I have no rights to say this, but would you like to come back and work with me again?"

Matsuda took a deep breath before saying, "Thank you very much for the offer. But I have a sin to atone for. Excuse me." Once he said that, Matsuda ended the call.

Everyone looked at Matsuda as Ruby asked, "You're still going?"

"I caused trouble for all of you. Let me do what's right." Ruby was about to intervene, but Yang stopped her.

Matsuda walked towards the door and was ready to open the door, until the thief stood up and said, "Hey! I also need to do what's right." They both nodded at each other as they walked out of the front door with the entire police force waiting outside.

"Secure them!" Commissioner Church commanded. The swat team moved in, not to arrest Matsuda and the thief, but into another building next door.

We all walked outside and saw the police rescuing a guy with shaggy, black hair and some girl in white clothes. All of our jaws, except Kasumi, collectively dropped at the same time as I said, "The siege incident was…"

"...At the Big Belly Burger next door?!" Everyone, except Kasumi, said in unison. Then the police walked out of the burger joint with a man in black being apprehended.

"Wait! Arrest me!" Matsuda said as he walked towards the cop car.

"Wait for me too!" The thief said as he follows Matsuda.

We all collapsed on the ground as Yang said, "We've been here…"

"...For two days…" Blake finished Yang's sentence.

"And we've..." Weiss said.

"...Been worrying…" Ruby finished Weiss' sentence.

"...For nothing." I said as we all groaned in frustration.

Kasumi stretched her arms as she said, "Well, I need to buy groceries and get home. I guess this is a goodbye."

"Yeah. If you need me, just call."

Kasumi smiled as she said, "Of course I will. Just promise me you'll be safe."

"I promise, Kasumi."

Kasumi then hugged me tight as she said, "Our time may be short, but this was the best visit I ever got." She lets go of me and looks at Team RWBY and said, "I hope you guys will help and be there for Kurokuu when he needs it."

"We will! We're a team after all!" Ruby said excitedly.

Kasumi then pulls Weiss away from the us. I wasn't sure what's going on since Kasumi is whispering something quietly to Weiss. Weiss then walks back to us with a huge blush on her face. "Uh, Weiss. Did something happen?" I asked.

"Nope, not at all. Let's just go home." Weiss said as she rushed ahead.

"Weiss, slow down!" I shouted as me and Team R(W)BY tried to catch up to her.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, it was a beautiful, snowy night at the Cliffside Forest. And sitting near the cliff was a gravestone which read, "Summer Rose; Most Kindly I Scatter." And standing near the grave was the man in the brown cloak. The man in the brown cloak kneeled down and placed a bouquet of roses on top of her grave. He paid his respect and was ready to walk back into the forest. As he was about to stand up until another young man was standing behind him. He had a slightly tanned complexion with brown eyes and shaggy, light brown hair. The young man is wearing a long sleeved, black shirt with a green sweater, blue jeans, and black combat boots._

 _The young man stared at the man in the brown cloak intensely as he waited for his next move. The man in the cloak reached into his pockets and pulled out a deck of black cards with a green design running through it. The young man nodded as he grabs the deck of cards out of his hands and stood still. Then a loud cry emitted in the air as a portal appears in the sky. And the portal opens to reveal a green train with a bull motif. The green train slowed down to a halt as the young man boarded on the train. The cry of the train rang again as it took off and went back inside the portal. The man in the brown cloak looked at the departure of the train before pulling out his stopwatch again to stare at again._

* * *

(A/N:) And so ends another chapter of Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time. I know fillers can be daunting sometimes when it comes with progression in story since it doesn't contribute much. But I can't help but put this one in, it is after all one of my favorite fillers from the show. And now, a new story begins. Who is the young man with the man in the brown cloak? What is the man in the brown cloak's relation with Summer Rose? What will happen next?!

So stay tuned for the next chapter. As always, leave a review on what you think and I hope you all enjoy.


	10. Chapter 10: A Surprise From The Past

(A/N:) Hey everyone! Welcome back to another chapter of Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time. By now, I'm pretty sure everyone has caught on about what is gonna happen next in this series. As always, leave a review on what you thought about this chapter. So now, let the Zeronos Arc begin and I hope you all enjoy!

I do not I own the rights to the series RWBY or Kamen Rider. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth Productions and The Kamen Rider Series is owned by Toei Company

"Normal Speech"

'Thoughts/Inner communication between OC and imagin'

 _"Third Person/Flashback"_

 **"Imagin speech"**

* * *

 _Professor Ozpin sat quietly in his office, drinking coffee while watching some footage of Kurokuu fighting the past imagins. The first screen showed Den-O, in sword form, cutting the whale imagin in half. The second screen showed Den-O, in his rod form, dive kicking into the crow imagin. The third screen showed Den-O, in axe form, cutting the rhino imagin down the middle. And lastly, the fourth screen showed Den-O, in gun form, firing a gigantic ball of energy at the Gigandeath._

 _Professor Ozpin took another sip of coffee and asked himself, "How strong will you become?" Then the scroll starting ringing as Professor Ozpin answers the call and said, "Hello?"_

" _Ozpin, The Owner is here to see you." Professor Goodwitch said._

" _Let him in." Professor Ozpin said as the call ended. He took a sip of coffee as the elevator opened to reveal The Owner. Professor Ozpin stood up and shook hands with him. "Owner, it's been awhile." Ozpin stated._

" _Yes, it has. Then again, you have an academy to run while I have to monitor the Den-Liner." The Owner said._

" _So, what brings you here at this hour?"_

 _The Owner cleared his throat and said, "Well, I like to consult about our situation we're in." Professor Ozpin simply stared at The Owner as he asked, "Did you find any information regarding the King?"_

" _Yes. Our best Huntsman, Qrow, has sent us an crucial info. The Queen and King has their pawns." Professor Ozpin replied. He sets his scroll down on the table, projecting several images of a hooded man. "We had several sightings of the King across Remnant. Last sighting of him was in Menagerie, a month ago. Qrow tried to apprehend him, but he managed to escape without a trace."_

" _And what of his associates?"_

 _Professor Ozpin takes his scroll of the table and said, "No information about them yet. We only learned about this a few days ago, so we don't have any of the pawns' identities."_

" _So, what is the plan now?"_

 _Professor Ozpin stayed silent for a bit as he contemplates what his next move should be. Professor Ozpin took a deep breath and said, "For now, we wait for their next move."_

 _The Owner raises his eyebrow at his answer as he asked, "Are you sure that's the right choice? We don't have much time left."_

" _Yes, I believe that is the right choice for now. We have limited information on the enemy and I refuse to risk the lives of others for it. All we can do now is wait." Professor Ozpin said in a stern voice._

" _I see. If you think that's the right move, I won't stop you." The Owner said as he checks the time on his wrist watch. "Looks like my time is up, I must get going." The elevator opens as The Owner steps inside and said, "Ozpin, I suggest you think about your next choices carefully. Your choices as well as others will determine the future." And with that, the elevator door closes at The Owner's last words._

 _The Owner stood quietly as the elevator descended down towards the ground. As he waited, he pulled out a pass, only this one was repainted gold. He stared at the master pass and asked, "Ozpin, the end is near. How many pawns will die for your cause?"_

* * *

 **Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time**

 **Chapter 10: A Surprise From The Past**

* * *

I blocked the incoming arrows from Mai before going on the offensive. I charged towards Mai with a downward strike, but she rolls out of the way and punches me in the gut. I stumbled back a bit before switching out the Momotarosword to the Kintaros Axe. I lifted the axe and threw it at Mai, causing her to dodge out of the way. I see the opportunity and ran straight at her. As Mai stood back up, I punched her in the face before doing a hook punch at her side. I went in for an uppercut but she blocked incoming punch and elbowed me in the face.

I rubbed my cheek in pain for a bit before dodging her incoming arrows again. I rolled out of the way and picked up the Kintaros Axe. I lifted the axe and did a downward strike on Mai, knocking her back. As Mai was slowly getting back up, I switched out the Kintaros Axe in place for the Uratarod. Mai and I stared at each other as we waited for one of us to make our next move. I decided to make the first move and attack Mai with an overhead strike. She blocks the attack with her bow and attack me with a roundhouse kick, but I caught it with my left arm.

I kept her foot locked as I used the rod to sweep her off her feet. She laid on the floor as I pointed the Uratarod at her and said, "Had enough?"

Mai smirked and said, "Nope." Then she took me by surprise as she kicked the rod out of the way and punched me straight in the face again. Mai didn't wait for my next move as she charges at me with an uppercut to the face. I fell on the ground, completely tired. I breathed heavily as Mai bragged, "I win."

"Yeah...you win…" I said in between my breath.

"Great job, Kurokuu!" Ruby shouted with the rest of Team RWBY cheering me on. Ruby, Weiss, and Yang came down to congratulate me while Blake sat up their silently. Strange, she seems to be more quiet and reserved than usual. Then again, she's always like that. But still, what is going on inside her head? "Kurokuu, you did great! You improved a lot!" Ruby said cheerfully.

"I agree. You're swordsmanship has improved dramatically. But you're still need work in wielding your rod and axe." Weiss commented.

Yang punched Weiss in the shoulder as she said, "Come on, Ice Queen. He did great regardless."

Mai wiped the sweat off her forehead and said, "Yang's right. He actually made me work up a sweat. Not like it was hard for everyone else except you and Jaune."

I cringed at her words and said, "Thanks Mai, really boosting my self esteem here." Mai, Yang, Weiss, and Ruby all laughed at my comment as I hanged my head down low.

Mai calmed down and said, "In all honesty, you're improving. And at the rate we're going, you might survive The Vytal Festival."

"Thanks." I said. Then I felt a sharp pain in my chest before coughing violently.

Mai, Yang, Weiss, and Ruby started worrying as Ruby asked, "Kurokuu, are you alright? You don't sound good."

I cleared my throat and said, "I'm fine, I just need some water. I'll get myself a drink and then hit the shower." And with that, I headed towards the locker rooms. Once I located and unlocked my locker, I grabbed the canteen and drank all of the water inside. I was ready for my shower as I grabbed my shampoo and towel, but the sharp stinging pain returned. This time, the pain wasn't mild, it was much more intense than before. I accidently let go of my shampoo as I fell against my locker, clutching my chest. Then, I felt the lightheadedness kick in as my vision slowly got more blurry.

As my consciousness slowly fading away, I heard some footsteps coming towards the locker room. The last thing I heard was, "Oh my Oum! Guys, something happened to Kurokuu!"

* * *

 _Meanwhile on the Den-Liner, it was a complete chaos in the dining car. Momotaros and Urataros are arm wrestling each other once more while Ryutaros was playing around with the sleeping Kintaros._ " _ **There! There! There!"**_ _Ryutaros said playfully as he shoots bubbles with a bubble gun he found. Kintaros slowly loses his patience as he grabs Ryutaros by the arm and threw him into Momotaros and Urataros._

 _Urataros laughs as he said_ _ **, "Ha ha! I win, Senpai. You better pay up!"**_

 _Momotaros growls and said_ _ **, "That didn't count, you had help! Best two out of three!"**_ _Momotaros faces Ryutaros and begins to slap in the head repeatedly. Urataros and Kintaros started to join in as they grab Ryutaros by his limbs and attempted to pull him apart._

 _But then, a passing arrow stops them dead in their place. Momotaros, Urataros, and Kintaros lets go of Ryutaros as they looked up and saw Mai with anger in her eyes. "EVERYONE SIT DOWN!" Mai shouted at the top of her lungs. All of the imagins immediately complied and all sat at their own bench. Mai walked towards the arrow and pulls it out of the wall, leaving behind a hole. She puts her arrow back in her quiver and said, "Kurokuu collapsed because of all of you guys possessing him! He's a wreck right now!"_

 _Urataros sighed as he said_ _ **, "You're right. But everyone is violent except me, right?"**_

" _ **The hell is that supposed to mean?!"**_ _Momotaros asked._

" _Well Urataros, you go out at night too much!" Mai retorted._

" _ **Yeah, she said you go out too much!"**_ _Momotaros repeated, only to get a slap in the face by Mai._

" _So, I've been thinking that all of you are on train arrest!"_ _Mai said as she leaned against the tables._

 _All of the imagins stared at Mai in shock as Momotaros said_ _ **, "Are you kidding me?! He can't access any of the forms without us!"**_

" _So? Kurokuu has been improving in combat lately. And also, he has Team RWBY, remember? Kurokuu could work with them without running the risk of collapsing."_

 _Momotaros growled in frustration as Urataros asked_ _ **, "And what's gonna stop us from leaving here?"**_

 _Mai smirked as she said, "I'll call The Owner to kick you guys off the train." All of the imagins, except Ryutaros, froze in fear as Mai asked, "So, do you all understand?" Momotaros, Urataros, and Kintaros nodded their heads at the same time. "Good, I'm leaving now. If I see you guys roaming around in Kurokuu's body, you can say goodbye to everyone." And with that, Mai leaves the dining room._

* * *

Ow, my head. What happened to me? I slowly open my eyes and noticed that I'm in the nurse's office once again. I looked out the window and noticed that it was sunny out. 'Man, was I out that long?' I asked myself. I felt someone next to me as I turned to my left and saw Weiss sleeping. Well, isn't this certainly deja vu all over again. Weiss started to slowly wake up as she yawned loudly and rubbed her eyes.

"Morning. How'd you sleep?" I asked.

"Kurokuu, you're okay!" Weiss exclaimed.

"Yeah, just sore is all. And also, you have a little something on your face." I said while pointing at the drool on Weiss' face. Weiss yelped in embarrassment as she wipes the drool off her face. "What happened while I was out?" I asked.

"We heard a noise in the locker rooms so I went over to check if you were okay. But when I came in, you were unconscious. Mai went to the Den-Liner to check on the imagins while me, Ruby, Blake, and Yang brought you to the nurse's office."

"I see." I said softly. "Weiss, I'm sorry for worrying you again."

"It's okay." Weiss said. She sighed softly and said, "You know Kurokuu, I question whether you have complete bad luck as your semblance sometimes."

"Yeah, either that or life just hates me the most."

We laughed for a bit until the nurse walked in. She cleared her throat and said, "Good morning Mr. Akarui, Ms. Schnee. I would like to say that you are clear to leave since you don't have any serious injuries."

"Oh okay." I replied to the nurse. "Well I gotta go change back into my clothes. So just go without me."

Weiss nodded and said, "Okay, sounds good. I'll be in the gym, training with the others."

"Alright, see ya'!" I said as Weiss left the room. I grabbed my battle clothes on the table and began to change into it. I finished putting on all my clothes except my muffler and shoulder armor. I place the armor on my shoulder and wrapped the straps around my torso. And lastly, I wrapped the muffler around my neck.

I checked myself in the mirror, making sure it looked good. I saw how the armor looked uneven so I readjust the shoulder armor before leaving the nurse's office. The hallways were filled with students moving around and hanging out each other. I yawned loudly before I heard someone saying, "Ouch! That hurts!"

I turn my head to the source of the voice and saw it was the rabbit faunus girl in Doctor Oobleck's class. And she was being harassed by none other than Team CRDL. "I told you it's real!" Cardin said as his team laughed along with him.

"What a freak!" Russell insulted.

My blood begin to boil as I saw tears coming out of her eyes. My hands clenched into a fist as I walked towards them and said, "Cardin, let her go."

Cardin lets go of the rabbit faunus as he turned to me and said, "Well, well, well, look who we have here. Kurokuu playing big man again." I growled at him as he said, "Woah! Crazy much? Maybe you should join the faunus freaks like the animal you are."

"Cardin, I could kick your ass then and I can now. So I'm telling you now, leave her alone."

"Or what? You can't handle all of us." Cardin said as his teammates surrounded me.

"Not without some help." A voice behind me said. I turned around and saw three people. The first person is a girl with a fair skin complexion, short dark-brown hair, and dark-brown eyes. She has wavy locks on one side of her face, dyed with a gradient that starts in dark brown and transitions to caramel. Her attire consist of a long, cocoa-colored shirt with a dark brown waist cincher. She wears long, dark brown trousers with ribbons on the left side and a brown belt with bullets. She also wears another cocoa-colored belt of bullets with a gold crosshairs buckle. What appears to be a drape of black skirt hangs on her right side. She wears a pair of dark brown, high-heeled leather boots with buckles. She has many accessories on her from a beret to aviator sunglasses.

The next person is a tall and athletic-looking guy with shaved-short black hair and tanned skin. He wears long short-sleeved robe, which he wears on one shoulder over a black muscle shirt. The robe is fastened at the waist by a leather armored belt with two pouches on it. He also wears brown pants and black-and-green boots. His left arm bears a 5-layer sode armor which extends up past his shoulder.

The last person is a guy with a dark complexion with dark, messy copper hair that has a long fringe, a cowlick, pure white eyes, and multiple scars around his body. He wears a sleeveless, muted orange zipper vest with black lining and a high collar, a pair of black jeans, and brown, laced shoes. He also wears a pair of long black gloves and has several pouches attached to his belt.

The girl with aviator sunglasses stared down on Cardin as she said, "Now, I'm giving you a chance. Walk away and never mess with Velvet again."

Cardin didn't look convinced as he said, "Or what? You're gonna-"

Cardin didn't finish his sentence as the girl with aviator sunglasses hit him in the nuts with her bag. Cardin groaned in pain as he fell on his knees and face planted onto the floor. Cardin's teammate were ready to attack until the big guy towered over them. They shook in fear as they ran in the opposite direction. The big guy walked over the the rabbit faunus, now named Velvet, and reached his hand out to her. Velvet accepts the help as the big guy helped Velvet back on her feet.

The girl in aviator sunglasses walked towards me and said, "Hey, you're Kurokuu, right?"

I cleared my throat and said, "Uh, yeah. How do you know my name?"

"Well, you kinda made a name for yourself here after showing off that cool armor you got."

I didn't understand what she meant by that until I remember transforming in front of the entire school to go after Cardin's imagin. "Oh, yeah. I remember now." I said out loud.

The girl takes off her shades as she said, "Anyways, I'm Coco, leader of Team CFVY. I just want to say thanks for sticking up for Velvet."

"Oh, it's no problem at all. I just hate people like Cardin who hurt people for their own entertainment or benefit."

"Yeah, people like him just makes the world harder for Velvet." The girl, now named Coco, said. She checks the time on her scroll and said, "Well, I have to go. Maybe we might run into each other again?"

"Yeah, maybe. See ya' later, Coco!" I said to them as Team CFVY walked away. I checked the time on my scroll and realized I was late. 'Shoot! Weiss is gonna kill me!' I thought to myself as I sprinted through the hallways.

* * *

 _Meanwhile back on the Den-Liner, all the imagins are enjoying a nice cup of coffee together. Momotaros was the last to get his cup of coffee as he took a sip and said_ _ **, "Train arrest? What a joke."**_ _Momotaros sat down on a bench._ " _ **I mean, Kurokuu isn't the guy to leave us hanging dry. Mai is just deciding that on her own, so there's nothing to worry about."**_ _Everyone agreed as they all continued to drink their coffee happily._

 _Naomi had a mischievous grin on her face as she said, "But...if Kurokuu is in danger. For the safety of the passengers, Mai said that she would ask The Owner to use his denial of passage." This caught the attention of the imagins as they all looked up and listened to what Naomi has to say. "And Kurokuu also said, 'It's getting worse, I need to stop this.'"_

 _Momotaros is in shock as he said, "Kurokuu said that?!_

" _Yep." Naomi confirmed._

 _Urataros joined in as he said_ _ **, "Now when I think about it, if he's getting stronger and we're causing him problems. What's stopping him from getting rid of any of us."**_

 _Momotaros felt frighten by Urataros' words as he said_ _ **, "That's true."**_ _He looks over to Naomi and asked_ _ **, "So what does that mean for us now?!"**_

 _Naomi places her hand on her chin as she said, "Hmm...Well, the question you should be asking is who Kurokuu will leave, right?"_

" _ **Wait a moment! Is that where the problem is already?!"**_

" _Yeah. I suppose only the useful guys will remain." Naomi said playfully before walking back to her counter._

 _Kintaros cracks his neck as he said_ _ **, "In other words, the strong will remain. Well, it's obvious who's the biggest failure, right?"**_

 _Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros all stared at Momotaros in unison, causing Momotaros to feel uncomfortable._ " _ **Why are you guys looking at me?!"**_ _Momotaros asked._

 _Momotaros looked at everyone until Ryutaros fired bubbles in his face. He laughs at Momotaros and said_ _ **, "Good work."**_

 _Momotaros shoved Ryutaros' arm away from his face as he said_ _ **, "It's not decided yet, you showy brat! I should kick your ass out first!"**_

 _Ryutaros fired more bubbles into Momotaros' eyes as he said_ _ **, "I would but you can't. I have a ticket that allows me to stay here forever!"**_

" _ **Since when?!"**_

" _ **Since I got here!"**_ _Ryutaros then pulls out a ticket with a picture of himself. In the corner of the ticket, it reads, "No expiration."_

 _Momotaros is speechless as Urataros wrapped his arm around his neck and said_ _ **, "Too bad. Well, we can take care of him as long as he gets to see Kasumi!"**_ _Momotaros push Urataros off of him, but that didn't stop him from saying_ _ **, "I know it's painful to part ways, but inedible fish are returned to sea."**_

 _Momotaros didn't take it lightly as he pushed Urataros and said_ _ **, "You're the inedible one! I've been training Kurokuu on how to use a sword the entire time! Do you think teaching Kurokuu to be a pervert is gonna help?!"**_

 _Urataros points at Momotaros and said_ _ **, "Not where it shows."**_

 _Momotaros swats Urataros' hand away as he said_ _ **, "If it doesn't show then it doesn't count!"**_ _He slams his hands against the table where Kintaros is at as he said_ _ **, "And you, Bear Boy! You're so freaking heavy, that's why Kurokuu is fainting! Get out!"**_

 _Kintaros stood up and said_ _ **, "I have a duty to protect Kurokuu and the people around him! He save me, after all. I have a price to repay."**_

" _ **But leaving is protect him."**_ _Urataros said convincingly._

 _Momotaros teamed up with Urataros and said_ _ **, "Oh yeah, protect him by getting out."**_ _They awaited for Kintaros' response until his head was tilted back and he started snoring._ " _ **You bear bastard! If you're gonna hibernate, do it in the Sands of Time!"**_ _As all the imagins were stressing out about their situation, Naomi watches them with a smile on her face as she does a word puzzle._

* * *

 _Velvet lays in bed quietly in her dorm room since the rest of her team has left to run some errands. She remains still as she weeps softly about what happened. Velvet sat up and grabbed a photo on her dresser, which showed a picture of her, her mother, and her father. She hugged the stuffed rabbit next to her as tears fell on the photo. "Daddy, what do I do?" Velvet said quietly._

 _As she continued to weep, a yellow orb entered the room and jumped into her body. Sand came off of her as it formed into a tortoise and rabbit hybrid imagin. Velvet jumped in fear as the rabbit imagin said_ _ **, "Tell me your wish, I will grant that wish. But, you must repay me one thing."**_

 _Velvet was ready to grab her weapon until she thought about what the imagin said. Any wish she wants. Velvet's voice was shaky as she said, "I...I want Cardin and his friends to stop bullying me."_

" _ **Your wish has been heard."**_ _The rabbit imagin said. Suddenly, Velvet began to feel dizzy as she slowly lost consciousness._

* * *

I enter the gym and saw Team RWBY and JNPR sparring against each other while Mai spectated from the bleachers. They clashed with one another as Ruby went against Jaune, Weiss with Pyrrha, Blake with Ren, and Yang with Nora.

Ruby and Jaune stared at each other, waiting for their next move. Ruby decided to take the initiative and make her move. Ruby switched her magazine out with one that has gravity dust. Jaune raised his shield up as Ruby fired off a round, launching her towards him. Ruby landed on Jaune's shield as she fired Crescent Rose again, pushing them both away.

Meanwhile, Weiss uses Myrtenaster to conjure ice around Pyrrha's feet to keep her in place. Weiss readied her blade as she uses her glyphs to speed towards Pyrrha. But instead of the blade making contact, the blade moved in a different direction, giving Pyrrha enough time to escape.

Blake, on the other hand, was evenly matched with Ren as they both attacked and counter each other's moves. Blake attempted to attack Ren from his left, but he caught the incoming blade in time with StormFlower. This gives Ren an opportunity to do roundhouse kick on Blake before doing a bird kick to push her back.

Yang and Nora battled head on as Nora swung her hammer around, but Yang manages to roll out of the way and fire some rounds at her. Nora dodges the incoming fire and switches Magnhild into its grenade launcher. Nora grins as she points the barrel at Yang and said, "Boop!" Once she said that, Nora fires off two grenades. Yang quickly reacted by shooting the first one down and dodging the second one. Yang quickly gets back up and charges towards Nora with a punch in the gut, knocking her back.

As training went on, I took a deep breath and announced, "Hey, everyone. Sorry I'm late."

Team RWBY and JNPR stopped fighting as Ruby said, "No worries at all. As long as you're in tip top shape, we can now start training."

"So, what took you so long?" Weiss asked.

"Well, I kinda had a run in with Cardin and his cronies." I replied.

"What?! What happened?!"

"Well, I saw Cardin and his team hurting that rabbit faunus from Doctor Oobleck's class. I hated how they were treating her so I decided to step in and stop it."

"So, you were about to start a fight to help her?" Blake asked.

"Yeah, but that never happened since her team came in and stopped Cardin." I said to Blake.

"Oh, well that's all well and good in the end." Pyrrha commented.

"Yep. Anyways, should we get back to training?" I asked.

"I thought you never ask." Mai said as she walked down from the bleachers. "You need some practice on wielding the rod and axe."

"Yeah, I kinda do." I said as I hung my head low.

"Well, let's get to it then! Everyone, get with your sparring partners and practice!" Mai instructed with everyone immediately complying. "You gotta get stronger if you want to beat all of the Haven, Atlas, and Shade students at the tournament!" Mai pulled out her bow and said to me, "Now, let's begin."

* * *

 _Team CRDL were fooling around in the hallways with nothing to do. Russell threw his throwing knives into the wall as he said, "Cardin, I'm bored. Let's go do something."_

 _Cardin didn't answer as he contemplates about earlier. 'Damn Kurokuu. He's always ruining everything! I'll show him.' He thought to himself as he stood back up. "Hey guys, why don't we pay a visit to old Kurokuu." Cardin said as he cracked his knuckles. "It's a good time to reconnect."_

 _His teammates seemed to agree as they begin to snicker evilly. But that all changed when they heard_ _ **, "Stop the bullies."**_

 _Team CRDL turned around to see the rabbit imagin walking menacingly towards them. They begin to panic as Sky said, "It's a monster!"_

 _The rabbit imagin pulled out two sickles and said_ _ **, "End bullies, permanently."**_ _The sickles glowed green as he releases two energy waves at them. Cardin grabbed Sky and Dove and used them as human shields. Russell wasted no time in waiting as he and Cardin immediately ran off in another direction. The rabbit imagin laughed manically as he said_ _ **, "Don't go! The fun has just begun!"**_

* * *

I blocked Mai's roundhouse kick with the Kintaros Axe before delivering an upward strike, pushing her back. I was ready to go on the offense until I heard running and screaming in the hallways. "The hell is going on now?" Mai said as she walked outside. We all followed her and saw Russell and Cardin running for their lives.

"Monster! Monster!" Russell cried.

Yang and Mai blocked their path as Yang grabbed Russell by his shirt and asked, "Where?"

"Back there! They got Sky and Dove!" '

Yang lets go of Russell as Mai said, "Alright, you lead us to where this 'monster' is. Got it?" They both nodded as Mai turned to us and said, "Let's get going. We have an imagin to deal with." We all agreed as we followed Cardin and Russell to the location of the imagin. We turned left and saw no imagin except Sky and Dove, in critical condition. Mai rushed towards them as she said, "Ruby, go get Professor Goodwitch to come to the nurse's office now!"

"On it!" Ruby said before running off to get Professor Goodwitch.

"Cardin, Russell, carry Dove. Ren, help me carry Sky." Mai ordered.

As Cardin, Russell, Mai, and Ren carried Dove and Sky, I hear Momotaros saying **, 'Oi, I smell the imagin.'**

"Where?" I asked.

' **Somewhere in the dorm buildings. Just follow my directions.'**

I nodded in confirmation as I turned to everyone and said, "Guys, I'm gonna go find the imagin."

"We're coming with you." Weiss said.

"No, I can handle it. Just take care of Team CRDL." I said to Weiss before running off. I ran outside and towards the dorm buildings. I entered inside and asked, "Which floor?"

' **The twelfth floor.'** Momotaros said. I looked around and saw the stairways. I immediately ran towards the stairs and began to run up twelve flights of stairs.

Once I reached the twelfth floor, I breathed heavily and asked, "Which...room?"

' **That one! Dorm number 636.'** I began to walk down the hall until I saw the dorm number 636. I listened in through the door and noticed how quiet it was on the other side.

I took a deep breath and knocked on the door. "Hello? Anyone in there?" I asked. I listened through the door once more as I heard some movement inside. I hear the footsteps coming closer until the door opens. I fell through and landed on the person who opened the door. I looked at the person who I am on top of and realized it was Velvet. "Velvet?" I said awkwardly.

"Oh, Kurokuu right? Could you get off me please?" Velvet asked nervously. I realized the position we're in as I quickly got off of her. "So...why are you here?" Velvet asked.

"Well, I just…" I slowly looked down on the floor and noticed the trail of sand around her. Yep, she's definitely the contract holder. "...wanted to talk to you about a few things."

"Oh, okay. Would you like to come in?"

"Yes, thank you." I said calmly as I stepped inside her dorm. The dorm room looks very much like any other dorms except ours. Velvet sat on her bed while I sat on someone else's.

"So, what do you need to talk about?"

"Well, I want to ask you if you made some kind of contract or wish to some monster made of sand. Do you know anything about that?"

Velvet's expression changed from calm to shocked as her eyes are wide like plates. Her voice became shaky as she said, "Y-Yes. I...made a wish to a sand monster."

"What did you wish for?"

Velvet stayed quiet for a bit until she said, "I wished that Cardin and his friends to stop bullying me."

I figured she would make that wish as I took a deep breath and asked, "Why? Why did you make the contract if you have your teammates who were there for you?"

Velvet started to tear up slightly as she said, "I-I just didn't want to let this become a burden on them or anyone. When I saw you trying to help me, I was scared you would get hurt because of me." Velvet slowly calmed down as she said, "So when the monster said he would grant a wish, I just...told him. Hoping that all of this would be over."

Velvet began to weep after telling her story. Strange, this feels eerily similar to Jaune's situation. I walked over to Velvet's bed and sat next to her. I comforted Velvet and said, "You know, you were exactly like my friend Jaune before."

"Jaune Arc?"

"Yeah. He used to think the same thing like you. He didn't want to be a burden on his teammates due to his lack of skills. But eventually, he learned something very valuable."

"And what is that?"

"It's that friends will always be there for you when you need it. Just like how my friends were there for me and how Jaune's teammates were there for him. There's nothing wrong with letting friends help you because that's what friends are for. People you can trust and lean on to help guide you through tough times."

Velvet looked touched by my words as she started to tear up. Not tears of sadness, but tears of joy. "Thank you... For helping me." Velvet said as she hugged me tightly. I was a little surprised by the sudden hug, but I decided to hug her back.

We hugged each other until I heard a familiar voice behind me, "So...am I interrupting something?"

I turned around and saw Coco and the rest of Velvet's teammates standing by the door. I immediately stopped hugging Velvet and said, "Uh nope! Not interrupting anything at all!" Then my scroll started ringing as I pulled it out of my pocket. I realized it was Mai calling me as I answered the call and said, "Hello?"

"Kurokuu! You gotta come down here, quick! The imagin is in the nurse's office and he's trying to finish the contract!" Mai shouted as loud gunfire were heard in the background.

"I'm coming right now!" I said to Mai before ending the call.

"What's going on?" Coco asked.

"Monster attack at the nurse's office." I replied.

"A monster attack?! We're coming with you."

"Coco, you don't have t-"

"Yes I do." Coco said as she puts on her aviator shades. "Besides, it's our job to protect you first years." Once she said that, she pulled out her handbag, which transformed to a freaking minigun! Coco chuckled at my reaction as she said, "Let's go kick some ass!" I simply nodded as all of Team CFVY began to ready up. "Lead the way, kiddo." Coco said. I complied as I lead Team CFVY to the location of the imagin. As we exited the dorm buildings, I see the imagin jumping out of the nurse's office and into the main avenue.

"Over there!" I shouted as I ran towards the direction of the imagin. Once I arrived, I saw the imagin carrying Cardin over his shoulder before dumping him on the ground. The rabbit/tortoise hybrid imagin has beaten Cardin to a bloody pulp to the point where he's almost unrecognizable. I almost gagged at the condition Cardin was in, but managed to regain my composure.

The rabbit imagin looked at Velvet as he said **, "Contract complete."** As he dashed in front of us, the big guy grabbed the imagin by the ears and threw him far away from Velvet.

"Guys, he finished the contract! Don't let him get to Velvet!" I said to Coco.

"Relax, we got this. Yatsuhashi, get Velvet away from the fight. Fox, you're with me." Coco ordered, which everyone complied.

The rabbit imagin got up as he shouted **, "DON'T GET IN MY WAY!"** Then the rabbit imagin dashed towards Velvet and the big guy, now named Yatsuhashi.

Coco spun the minigun up as she said, "You're not going anywhere." Then with a push of the trigger, the minigun fired off round after rounds at the rabbit imagin. The rabbit imagin managed to outrun the incoming bullets since the weight of the minigun is slowing down her movement. Coco growled as she said, "Fox, go after him quick!"

The dark skinned guy, now named Fox, nodded as he quickly dashed towards the imagin. He uses his bladed gauntlets to strike the rabbit imagin, but he blocks the incoming attack with a pair of sickles. The rabbit imagin kicked Fox in the guts, pushing him back. The rabbit continued his chase after Velvet until he was stopped by Yatsuhashi. Yatsuhashi pulled out a large sword and struck downwards, but the imagin rolled out of the way just in time. The rabbit imagin attempted to get pass Yatsuhashi, but he grabs the imagin by the neck and threw him into the ground.

Yatsuhashi pulled his sword out of the ground and was ready to stab the imagin, but the imagin uses his sickle and trips Yatsuhashi. The rabbit laughed manically as he said **, "You can't stop me!"** Then the rabbit imagin sprinted full speed towards Velvet as he jumps inside of Velvet's memories.

"Oh no!" I shouted as I made my way towards Velvet. She remained unresponsive as I placed the ticket over her head. The ticket revealed the picture of the rabbit imagin with the date 7/28/2008.

I heard multiple footsteps coming towards me as I saw Mai, Team RWBY, and Team JNPR running towards me. "Kurokuu, where's the imagin?"

"He flew back. I got the ticket right here." I said as I showed Mai the ticket. I pulled out the Den-O belt and wrapped it around me. I looked at Team CFVY and JNPR and said, "You guys stay here and call Ozpin. I'll handle the imagin." Coco nodded as I said, "Henshin." I swiped the pass over the belt, causing the armor to materialize around me. Then the Den-Liner entered our time period as Team RWBY, Mai, and I entered the Den-Liner.

As we entered through the dining car, Momotaros grabbed me and asked **, "Wait, what're you doing?"**

"I wanna try fighting on my own." I replied.

Weiss looked shocked as she said, "Wait, we're a team. We're supposed to be working together!"

"I know. But I wanna see how far I can go with all the training I did." I said calmly. Everyone remained silent as I headed towards the engine room. I sat on the Den-Bird and placed the pass inside the bike, setting our destination in time.

* * *

 _July 28, 2008_

 _It is a beautiful day in the Vale Park. The air is sweet, the sun shining brightly, and the people in the park are having fun, oblivious to the danger coming. A young Velvet Scarlatina is playing around with her friends in the playground. "Honey! It's time to open your present!" Velvet's father called out._

" _Okay!" Velvet said happily as she skipped towards them. Velvet's father has a pale complexion with brown eyes, brown hair, and long rabbit ears like Velvet. He is wearing a floral shirt with shorts and sandals. Her mother also has a pale complexion with red eyes, dark brown hair, and has rabbit ears as well. She is wearing a white summer dress with a white sun hat and sandals._

 _Velvet's father gave Velvet a present as he said, "Open it up!"_

 _Velvet quickly tears through the wrapper and opens the present, revealing a stuffed rabbit. She smiled happily as she said, "Daddy, I love it!"_

" _Why don't you go play with it with your friends?" Velvet's mother suggested._

 _Velvet nodded as she said, "I will! Thank you mommy, daddy!" Velvet gave her a parents a huge hug before running to her friends. As she ran towards them, sand started falling out of her clothes as it formed into the rabbit imagin. Velvet screamed in fear as the rabbit imagin ran off and caused chaos in the park. And standing behind the trees is none other than the man in the brown cloak. As the chaos ensues, he checks the stopwatch until the sound of the Den-Liner arriving caught his attention. Knowing what'll happen if he runs into the Den-O, he immediately flees from the scene._

* * *

I ride the Den-Bird through the park as I saw people fleeing for their lives. I looked around and saw nothing but fire and smoke everywhere. I got off the Den-Bird and looked around for any survivors. Suddenly, I hear crying coming from the playground so I made my way through the smoke. I made it to the playground and saw a young Velvet, crying out for her parents. "Mom. Dad. Where are you?!" Velvet shouted.

"We're right here, sweetie!" Velvet's father said as they made their way towards Velvet.

Velvet's mother picked up Velvet and hugged her tightly as she said, "Don't cry sweetie. We're gonna be safe." I looked through the smoke and saw the rabbit imagin ready to cut them all down.

My heart started racing as I dashed towards them and shouted, "LOOK OUT!" Velvet's parents turned around and saw the rabbit imagin dashing towards them. I ran as fast as I could and managed to take the hit for them just in time. I looked back at them and said, "Hurry...RUN!" They immediately complied as they ran off in the other direction. The rabbit imagin was about to attack me with his sickle, but I blocked the attack in time and punched him, giving some distance between me and him.

" **Den-O! Don't get in my way!"** The rabbit imagin shouted as he sent a wave of energy at me. I managed to dodge the attack in time and went on the offense. I punched the imagin in the face, following it up with a roundhouse kick. While the rabbit imagin is getting up, I grabbed the Den-Gasher and formed it into a sword. The rabbit imagin charged at me once more as I readied myself for the next attack. As he got closer, I charged straight in with a sword slash, but the rabbit imagin jumped over me and slashed me in the back. I managed to recover from the attack as I went in for a downward strike, but the rabbit imagin blocks the attack with his sickles and slashes me in the gut.

I stumbled back for a bit until the rabbit imagin jump kicks me in the face, knocking me into someone. As I got back up, I noticed that there was a stopwatch in front of me which looked all too familiar. I grabbed the stopwatch and check the back to make sure I wasn't delusional. But sure enough, the stopwatch on the back read, "The past should give us hope." My heart stopped when I read the words on the back. I turned around and saw that it was the man in the brown cloak from before, trying to get up. I rushed towards him and tried to confirm if that was him, but the smoke covered his facial features.

Then the man in the brown cloak grabbed the stopwatch out of my hands and began to run off. "Hey, wait!" I shouted only for the rabbit imagin to slash me in the back again.

" **Keep your eyes on the opponent!"** The rabbit imagin said before slashing me relentlessly. I tried to get back up, but he kept his foot planted on me. " **Any last words, Den-O?"** The rabbit imagin said as he was ready to stab me.

But then, I felt Ryutaros taking over my body as he caught the blade in time. " **I'll have to defeat Kurokuu eventually, so quit it."** Ryutaros said as he pushed the rabbit imagin off of him.

" **What was that?!"** The rabbit imagin asked.

Ryutaros pulled out the pass and presses the purple button on the belt. The belt played at hip-hop tune as Ryutaros swipes the pass over the belt.

 **GUN FORM**

Purple armor pieces and faceplate appeared as it combined with the suit and helmet. Ryutaros changed the sword into a gun as he said **, "I can defeat you, right? I can't hear you!"** Then without waiting another second, he fired a rounds after rounds at the rabbit imagin. The rabbit imagin fell on his knees as Ryutaros said **, "Man, you're boring."** He pulls out the pass and places it over the belt as it called out.

 **FULL CHARGE**

Ryutaros aims his gun at the rabbit imagin as it slowly builds up a ball of energy. He pushes the trigger, firing the energy ball. But, the rabbit imagin managed to jump out of the way in time before it made contact with him. I could see the rabbit imagin fleeing the scene. " **Hey, he got away."** Ryutaros said.

I started to panic as I saw the man in the brown cloak exiting the park. 'Ryutaros, switch out now!'

" **Okay."** Ryutaros said as he disconnected the belt. As the armor dematerialized, I ran out of the park to search for the man in the brown cloak, but the crowd of people and police were in the way. I looked through the crowd and saw the man in the brown cloak fleeing the scene.

I immediately followed him as I pushed through the crowd to get to him. He turned to me and realized I was chasing him. He knocked some boxes over, trying to slow me down. But that didn't stop me. I kept on running until he ran into the alleyway.

I followed him to the alleyway and blocked him off from escaping. The man in the brown cloak stood still as I asked, "Shuichi, why are you here? How are you here?!" He remained silent which didn't sit well with me. "I'm asking you again. WHY AND HOW ARE YOU HERE?!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. "WHY DID YOU DISAPPEAR ON US?! DO YOU KNOW HOW PAINFUL IT WAS TO SEE KASUMI CRY BECAUSE OF YOU ABANDONING US?! AND NOW YOU'RE SOMEHOW HERE! PLEASE SAY SOMETHING, ANYTHING?!"

My heart is beating loudly as I waited for the man in the brown cloak to say something. He remain silent once more which caused my blood to boil even more. "You...YOU BASTARD!" I shouted as I punched the man in the brown cloak in the gut. He leaned against the wall as I punched him repeatedly. My heart beated faster and faster as I kept on punching him over and over. Suddenly, I felt something stab me in the side as I slowly backed away to see what it was.

I looked to my side and saw a needle stabbed in me. I slowly pulled the needle out as I felt the immediate effects of the drug. My vision started to become fuzzy as I slowly felt more weary. I stumbled back against the wall and leaned on it as I saw the man in the brown cloak enter a random door. I reached my hand out and said, "Shuichi…" The drug caught up to me as I slowly lost consciousness.

* * *

(A/N:) Okay, that was...yeah. I wanted Kurokuu to show his anger towards the man in the brown cloak because of how he abandoned Kasumi. And with the strong bond that Kurokuu and Kasumi have and how Kurokuu has trusted him for a long and he caused her so much pain, this would give more reasons for Kurokuu to lash out and become out of character for him to do that.

So what do you think? Leave a review on what you think and I'll see you in the next chapter. Bye!


	11. Chapter 11: The Time Travelling Fiance

(A/N:) Hey, everyone! Welcome back to another chapter of Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time. We last left off with Kurokuu meeting the man in the brown cloak, which we all know by now is Shuichi. So now here we are at part two of the Zeronos Arc. Leave a review on what you think about this chapter and I hope you all enjoy.

I do not I own the rights to the series RWBY or Kamen Rider. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth Productions and The Kamen Rider Series is owned by Toei Company

"Normal Speech"

'Thoughts/Inner communication between OC and imagin'

 _"Third Person/Flashback"_

 **"Imagin speech"**

* * *

 _Back on the Den-Liner, Weiss and Momotaros are pacing back and forth as they await for Ryutaros and Kurokuu's return._ " _ **Grahhh! Where's Kurokuu and that brat?!"**_ _Momotaros said as he rubs his head stressfully._

" _Momotaros, I think they're fine. This isn't Kurokuu's first time fighting an imagin on his own." Ruby reassured._

" _ **Yeah. But he got his ass kicked hard the first and second time!"**_

 _Ruby sighed as she looked at Weiss and said, "Weiss, you need to calm down as well."_

" _How can I, Ruby? Have you seen the chaos the imagin did? What if he didn't make it out?!" Weiss said as she started panicking._

" _Weiss, I know how you feel right now. But this is Kurokuu's choice to fight on his own. So let's just try to be supportive of him." Weiss slowly calmed down and sat back on the bench._

 _The silence slowly drag on as time seemed to move slower. The anticipation grew more and more as everyone started to become more anxious. Momotaros kept on pacing, Urataros is fidgeting with his fingers, Kintaros is staring at the clock on the wall, Mai is sharpening her arrows, Ruby is loading her magazines, Weiss tapped her foot over and over, Blake stayed completely quiet, and Yang cracked her knuckles and wrists. Then a purple aura formed in the center of the dining car as Ryutaros appeared from thin air. "Ryutaros, you're back!" Mai said._

" _ **Yep, I'm home!"**_ _Ryutaros said cheerfully._

" _Did you guys stop the imagin?" Blake asked._

" _ **Nope, he got away."**_ _Ryutaros answered as he sat back down and listened to music._

" _What?! Why didn't you go after him?!" Mai shouted._

" _ **Oh, because Kuro-chan told me to leave. It looked like he was looking for someone."**_

" _So you're saying that Kurokuu is wandering in the past?!"_

" _ **Yep."**_ _Ryutaros answered while drawing a picture._

 _Mai, Momotaros, Urataros, Kintaros, and Team RWBY started to panic as Weiss said, "What do we do?! We don't even know where he is!"_

" _Weiss, we have to stay calm." Ruby said._

" _What is that idiot thinking?!" Weiss continued, ignoring Ruby's words._

" _Weiss!" Yang shouted, getting Weiss' attention. "Freaking out is not gonna help us find Kurokuu."_

 _Mai rests her hand on Weiss' shoulder and said, "That's right. For now, we split up and search around the city. Ruby, Weiss, you guys check near the park if he's still around there. Yang, Blake, and I will ask around."_

 _Team RWBY all agreed as Momotaros asked_ _ **, "What about us? We can't just sit here."**_

" _You guys are gonna staying here. You need to watch Ryutaros to make sure he doesn't act on his own again just in case."_

 _Momotaros was about to object until Urataros stopped him and said_ _ **, "Got it. We'll stay here."**_

" _Good. Team RWBY, let's go." Mai commanded as they go out on a search mission for Kurokuu._

* * *

 **Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time**

 **Chapter 11: The Time Travelling Fiance**

* * *

 _It was a cold, snowy, Christmas day at the Milk Dipper. As the harsh winter raged on outside, the Milk Dipper is filled with warmth and joy in the inside. Kasumi, Shuichi, and I gathered around the tree as we began opening presents for each other. I saw the name on a present as I grabbed it and shook it around, wondering what's inside. My curiosity couldn't handle it much longer as I tore through the wrapping paper. Once I tore through the wrapper, the cover of the box revealed to be a Scroll Box Console. Thankful, I got up and gave Kasumi and Shuichi a big hug. Kasumi and Shuichi were smiling happily at my childlike happiness. Then Kasumi walked over to the tree and pulled out a small present. She handed to present to Shuichi as he accepts the gift and opens it up. The present inside is revealed to be a stopwatch. Shuichi smiled happily as he gave Kasumi a loving kiss, thanking her for the present. Then the air around me feels cold as the scenery changed from the Milk Dipper to the lake._

 _Blossom petals flutter down onto an empty boat with the stopwatch resting on the edge. I ran as fast as I could and saw Kasumi, standing motionless on the water. She turned towards me with a smile on her tear stained face as I fell on my knees and shouted, "KASUMI!"_

* * *

I woke up in fear and confusion as sweat poured around my face. Once the initial shock is gone, my breathing became slower and slower. I looked at my surroundings and noticed that I'm in some sort of alleyway. 'Why am I here for?' I asked myself. Then I felt something in my pockets as I reached for it inside. I grabbed the object and pulled it out, which is revealed to be the stopwatch that I took from the Milk Dipper. I stared at it closely until something triggered within me. 'Shuichi...He...was here.' I thought to myself as I reminisce about the event that occurred before.

The anger. The confusion. The sadness. I felt it all of those emotions in that one moment. Why? Why is he here? How is he here? Why didn't he come back? Why doesn't any of this make sense?! I gripped on the stopwatch tightly as I let the cracks inside me cave in. I pulled my knees close to my chest and started to cry. The tears run down my face as I block out everything and everyone around me.

* * *

 _Back on the Den-Liner, the imagins all sat down quietly as Naomi served them coffee. She gave Urataros his coffee as she said, "Kurokuu. I hope they find him soon."_

" _ **I think he'll return. He knows this is the past after all."**_ _Urataros answered calmly._

" _ **Knowing that and disappearing means it's a big deal."**_ _Kintaros commented._

" _ **I suppose."**_

 _Ryutaros continues drawing as he asked_ _ **, "I wonder why Kurokuu wanted to chase that guy in the brown cloak for?"**_

" _ **Well that's the million lien question there. We won't know until they find him."**_ _Urataros replied._

" _ **It's all you guys' fault."**_ _Everyone turned around as Momotaros turned towards them and said_ _ **, "When it was just me, none of this nonsense would happen!"**_

 _Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros all stared at Momotaros confusingly as Urataros said_ _ **, "That has nothing to do with it. It's about Kurokuu looking for the mystery guy."**_

" _ **It does!"**_ _Momotaros shouted as he stood up from his seat. He walked towards them while saying_ _ **, "This gives me a hazy feeling. I hate situations where I can't see where I'm going!"**_

" _ **What?"**_

" _ **I'm saying you guys get out!"**_

 _Urataros scoffs and said_ _ **, "How stupid. Why lump us with you being kicked off?"**_

 _Kintaros turns towards Momotaros and said_ _ **, "We said the useless one would leave."**_

" _ **And everyone knows who's leaving."**_ _Ryutaros said as he fires bubbles at Momotaros._

 _Momotaros grabs Ryutaros by the collar and said_ _ **, "You're the most dangerous one, maybe you should get kicked off!"**_

 _Ryutaros escapes Momotaros' clutches as he said_ _ **, "Like I said before, dummy. I can't leave since I have a ticket to stay here as long as I want."**_

 _Momotaros clenched his hands tightly as he goes in to punch Ryutaros, but instead he punches Kintaros instead. Urataros sighed as he said_ _ **, "Man...Why are you so irritated for?"**_

" _ **Why are you so calm?!"**_ _Momotaros said as he kicks Urataros into Ryutaros._

 _They both glared at Momotaros as Urataros said_ _ **, "That hurts!"**_ _Then Urataros and Ryutaros punched Momotaros and proceed to attack him._

 _As the imagin fight among each other, Naomi watches from a safe distance and said, "Stop it! It's dangerous! Momo-chan, hang in there!" She sighs exhaustingly as she said, "Kurokuu better hurry up soon or it'll be trouble."_

* * *

 _Ruby and Weiss rushed around the city, searching high and low for the location of Kurokuu. "Kurokuu! Where are you?!" Weiss shouted._

" _Kurokuu, come back!" Ruby shouted loudly._

" _Where can he be?"_

" _I don't know. We checked almost all throughout Vale and still no traces of him."_

 _Weiss sighed stressfully and said, "And not just that, we still have that imagin to get rid of. And we don't even know where he is."_

 _Ruby rests her hands on Weiss and said, "Weiss, we're gonna find Kurokuu and stop the imagin, don't worry." Weiss looked down for a bit before looking up and nodded at Ruby. As they were about to continue their search, Ruby asked out of the blue, "By the way, why do you care so much about Kurokuu? You worry about him a lot more than us so what's the reason? And not the 'he's our teammate' stuff._

 _Weiss looked speechless since the only words that escaped out of her mouth was, "I-I...I"_

" _Weiss, you can tell me. I'm your best friend and leader, you don't need to hide anything from me."_

 _Weiss stroked her hair nervously until she grabbed Ruby and asked, "You promise you won't tell anyone?"_

" _Cross my heart and hope to die." Ruby said as she made and drew an "x" across her chest with her finger._

 _Weiss took a deep breath and said, "I worry about Kurokuu because I care for him. Not as a friend, but something a little more."_

 _Ruby looked confused by what Weiss meant by that until something clicked in her head, "Oh! You like-"_

" _Not out loud!" Weiss whispered as she covered Ruby's mouth._

 _Ruby looked so overjoyed as she whispered, "Oh my gosh, you like Kurokuu! AHHH! That's so cute!"_

 _Weiss groaned in embarrassment and said, "Yes...that's right."_

" _You need to tell me everything! How?! When?! Why?!"_

 _Weiss took a deep breath before explaining, "We'll I started to feel this way ever since we got to Beacon. He knew about my father's 'business practices' and who I was, but he never treated me badly like others would. And my family didn't treat me any better than the people outside. My father would tell me off and use me to make the company look good. And my brother doesn't want anything to do with me or my sister. The only decent people in my life is Kurokuu, you guys, my sister, Winter, and Klein, my butler. And over time, I just felt this way for him ever since."_

 _Ruby covered her mouth with a surprised expression on her face as she said, "Wow, you really do like him."_

" _Yeah. He's what makes my life less lonely." Weiss said as she looked down somberly. Ruby looked at Weiss before smiling brightly and hugging Weiss from the side. "Ruby? What are you-"_

" _Weiss, I'm so happy for you." Ruby said cheerfully. She release Weiss from her embrace as she said, "After we find Kurokuu, you need to ask him for the dance coming up."_

" _Wait, what dance?"_

" _The dance happening in a few weeks from now. I heard a lot of cool things are gonna be happening so let's make that night special for you guys!"_

" _Wait, but how-""_

" _Don't worry, Weiss." Ruby interrupted. "I'll help you. I'll be like your wing man, I mean wing woman."_

" _Thanks Ruby, but for now let's focus on finding him." Weiss said._

" _Okay." Ruby replied as they continued their search._

* * *

The night grew colder so I wrapped my muffler closer to my face to keep myself warm. I didn't move an inch as I stared at the stopwatch, reminiscing about the past. All the happy moments we had. But why did he disappear? That question still confused me to this day. Everything was so perfect. Kasumi and Shuichi were happy and ready to get married, Shuichi and I had a strong bond, and we were all happy with each other. So why did he leave her? Why did he leave us? I gripped the stopwatch tightly before letting it go and fall between my legs.

The silence dragged on until I heard, "Kurokuu?"

I turned my head to the left and saw Weiss and Ruby standing in front of the alleyway. I rubbed my nose as I said weakly, "Hey guys…"

"Kurokuu, where were you?! You had us worrying to death and-" Weiss stopped for a moment as she noticed my red eyes and tear-stained face. "Kurokuu...you're crying."

I rubbed my eyes as I took a deep breath and said, "Yeah...I...I was."

"Kurokuu, what happened?" Weiss said worryingly.

"He...he was here."

"Who? Who was here?"

"Weiss, we found Kurokuu. For now, let's just bring him back to the Den-Liner." Ruby said. She pulled her scroll out and said, "Guys, Weiss and I found Kurokuu. We're heading back to the Den-Liner."

Weiss helped me up as she puts my arm around her shoulder. "Come on, Kurokuu. Let's bring you home."

* * *

 _The rabbit imagin became more and more anxious as he is still contemplating what to do. He growls as he asked himself_ _ **, "Why does nothing come to my head?"**_ _The rabbit imagin pulled out his sickles as he shouts_ _ **, "HEY! WHAT SHOULD I DO?! WHERE SHOULD I ATTACK?! HEY!"**_ _The imagin fell down on his back and stares at his weapon._ " _ **SOMEONE RESPOND!"**_ _Then he fired a wave of energy in the sky, causing an explosion to occur._

* * *

The door opens to Mai, Yang, Blake, and the imagins all waiting patiently for me. Momotaros got up and walked towards me. " **Oi, Kurokuu. Are you okay?"** He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I replied as I limped towards a bench to sit on. I could feel everyone's eyes on me as I saw the worried expression on their faces. Then the sound of the door opening caught my attention as I look up and saw The Owner, standing at the entrance of the dining car. He walks to the counter and sits down as Naomi serves him his usual fried rice with a flag on top.

The silence dragged on as The Owner eats his rice. He consumes a spoonful of rice before saying, "Kurokuu, the ticket you use doesn't allow you to make stops. If you remain in the past too long, it causes some trouble for me."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stay there for too long." I apologized.

He continues eating as he said, "But, we left the imagin behind, so something must be done. And also," He turns around and places the spoon over his eye, "what did you see?"

Once the million lien question was asked, everyone stared at me intensely, waiting for my answer. I took a deep breath and said, "During the fight, there was this person that I recognize. That person was my sister's fiance."

Everyone looked shocked as Weiss asked, "Wait, you mean Kasumi?"

I nodded as I continued, "His name is Shuichi Nakamura. He went missing since the beginning of 2017."

"I see." The Owner cut in. "Perhaps you met the past version of him from nine years ago?"

"I don't think so. Because he has the-" I was about to reach into my pockets to grab the stopwatch, only to find out that it wasn't there. I began panicking as I checked each pocket. "The watch. It's gone!"

"Is it this one?" Ruby said as she pulled out the stopwatch.

I nodded as I walked up to her and grabbed the stopwatch from her hands. I thanked Ruby for finding it before continuing what I was about to say, "He had this stopwatch on him. My sister and I got this for him for Christmas, last year. The Shuichi from nine years ago wouldn't have this."

"This Shuichi Nakamura went missing around January?" The Owner asked again to be sure.

"Yes, that's correct."

"But, why doesn't Kasumi ask the VPD to plan search on him?" Mai asked.

I started tearing up slightly as I replied, "Because Kasumi doesn't remember anything about Shuichi. She puts all the memories of him deep inside her to the point that she was unaware of it herself." I stopped for a moment as I wiped the tears away from my face. I took a deep breath again and continued, "Shuichi disappeared a month before Kasumi's wedding. By the time I found her, she lost all the memories of him."

The tense atmosphere lingered for a bit until The Owner gasped loudly as the flag on his fried rice toppled over. He went back to his straight face and said, "I see. If that's true, then this Shuichi Nakamura can travel through time, that would be interesting. And being where the imagins attack, it might not be a coincidence after all." The Owner wiped his mouth with a napkin before standing up and walking out of the dining car.

We all stayed silent for a moment until Mai stood up and said, "I think we should let Kurokuu rest after everything that happened today. Come on, everyone." Team RWBY, Naomi, and the imagins agreed as they all slowly walked out of the room, leaving me by my lonesome. As I slowly fall asleep, I contemplate about everything that happened. All these questions. So little answers. How can I find the answers to these questions?

* * *

 _Morning came in the city of Vale as the rabbit imagin finally got up. He sharpens his sickles and said_ _ **, "If nothing pops in my head, then I'll just erase everything!"**_ _The rabbit imagin jumped off the rooftop and into the busy highway. The sickles glowed green as he unleashed the energy at the cars, causing a chain of explosions to occur.. Then the rabbit imagin jumped off the highway and into the streets. The people started panicking as they all tried to flee from their attacker. But the rabbit imagin had no mercy as he slaughtered the civilians one by one. Pandemonium and chaos ran rampant throughout the city as buildings were destroyed, innocents dying, and people fleeing for their lives._

 _The VPD surrounded the imagin as they opened fire on him. Commissioner Church and the VPD Swat team pointed their guns at him as the Commissioner ordered, "Open fire!" The VPD Swat team opened fire at the rabbit imagin, but before the bullets landed, the rabbit imagin jumped up and out of the VPD's confinement. They were in disarray as the rabbit imagin began slaughtering the Swat team one by one. Commissioner Church hid behind cover as he kept on firing at him, but the sound of howling stopped him dead in his tracks. The Commissioner turned around and saw in the distance, the Grimm. "MEN! INCOMING GRIMM!"_

 _The beowolves howled as they charged into the city. The remaining Swat team members shifted their attention on the Grimms as they opened fired at the incoming beowolves. In the sky, several bullheads hovered over the ground as two people stepped off. One was a man that has a light complexion with black, spiky hair, red eyes, and a slight stubble around his jawline. He dons a gray dress shirt with a long tail, black dress pants, black dress shoes, and a red tattered cape. He has several rings on his fingers and has a crooked cross pendant._

 _The second was a woman that has a pale complexion with black hair with red highlights and silver eyes. She dons a white cloak which is held up by a clip with a shape of a rose, a long sleeved thick white blouse with a high collar and black trim on the sleeves, a black waist cincher with red lacing up the front, and a white skirt with red trim. She also wears a pair of thick black stockings and black combat boots with red laces, red trim around the top and red soles._ " _This is...pandemonium." The silver eyed woman said as she gazes at the chaos ensuing in front of her._

" _Tell me about it." The red eyed man said as he pulled out a flask and drank the contents inside. "Everything was calm until yesterday. And here I thought I would just stay home and take a break for once."_

" _Well, duty calls when you're a huntsman." The silver eyed woman said._

" _Summer! Qrow!" A voice shouted. They both turned to see a man with a tanned complexion, purple eyes, and black, shaggy hair. He is wearing a purple happi coat with the kanji_ _鬼_ _(oni) on the back. He also wears black cargo pants, black combat boots, and dark purple sweat wristbands._

" _Hibiki, what's the status at the moment?" The silver eyed woman, now dubbed Summer, asked._

" _So far, the VPD is quarantining the remaining civilians in a small sector of the city. Right now, the local huntsman teams are evacuating the people out."_

" _Now, what about this 'monster' people are screaming about?" The red eyed man, now named Qrow, asked._

" _I don't know what that is. From what I'm seeing, this monster is close to the one Team NXUS (Nexus) encountered back in 97' when Kuroyuri was still standing." The man, now named Hibiki, said. Summer and Qrow looked shocked at what Hibiki said as he asked, "So what's the plan?"_

" _Gather your team and a few others to aid the VPD in holding off the Grimms. Me and Qrow will find and handle the monster." Summer said._

 _Hibiki agreed as he pulled out two clubs. The clubs has a leather handle, the top half of the club covered in metallic red, and the clubs themselves has a red dust crystal, shaped to look like a demon. "On it." Hibiki said as he charged into the streets of Vale, firing fireballs at the beowolves._

 _Qrow took his last sip of alcohol and notices something wrong with Summer. "Hey, you alright?_

" _Yeah, I'm fine. Just memories is all." Summer replied solemnly._

 _Qrow pulls out a large sword as he said, "Well, whatever you're remembering now, you best put those memories away. We got company."_

 _Summer nodded as she pulled out a large scythe and said, "Yeah, let's do it." And with that, they both charged straight into the city, hacking and slashing away at the Grimms._

* * *

I open my eyes as I awoke from my slumber. I yawned loudly and noticed that I'm still on the Den-Liner. I looked around the dining car and saw Weiss setting a tray of food on the table. "Weiss?" I said to get her attention.

Weiss yelped as she turned around and said, "Kurokuu, you're awake!"

"Yeah, I just woke up. What're you doing?"

"Oh, Naomi told me to bring you some food. You haven't eaten in awhile."

"Oh, thanks." I said to Weiss. "You wanna sit down with me?"

Weiss stays quiet for a bit until she decided to accept my offer and sit down with me. I grabbed the bowl of ramen and began chowing down. Weiss groans and said, "Kurokuu, manners."

"Right. Right." I said as I wiped the soup off my face.

As I continued eating, Weiss asked, "So, how are you right now?"

"I'm doing better. Just trying to get my mind off of all of this." I answered.

I slurped up the last remaining noodles before picking the bowl up and drinking the rest of the soup. I set the bowl down and exhaled loudly, completely full from the meal. "Kurokuu...If you don't mind me asking, what happened in the alleyway between you and Shuichi?" I froze when she asked that question. "If you don't want to talk about it, it's fine. I'm sorry for being insensitive."

"No, no it's fine. I was just surprised at the question." I said to Weiss, trying to reassure her. "Well, after the fight, I chased Shuichi throughout Vale until he cornered himself in the dead end alleyway. Then I started asking him questions, trying to figure out what all of this is. He didn't utter a single word. And then…" I stopped for a moment to take a deep breath. "I just-just snapped. I was so blinded in this anger, I just attacked him again and again without any remorse. And it would've gotten worse if he hadn't put me to sleep. I have never felt so angry, confused, and betrayed when I saw him at that moment. When I saw him, I was reminded of all the pain my sister felt when he disappeared. And I...just can't forgive him for that." I looked up and saw the concerned expression on her face. I realized that I've gone on for too long and said, "Oh, I'm sorry for being inconsiderate. I know you went through a lot more of harsher experiences than I did."

"No, it's okay." Weiss said calmly. "You went through a lot. And I can understand that." I sighed stressfully as I stared up into the ceiling. She stood up from her seat and sat next to me and said, "Kurokuu, you've always helped me and other with their personal problems. But sometimes, you don't realize that you need some help from time to time as well."

I was surprised by Weiss' words as I said, "I didn't take you much for a preacher."

Weiss nudged me playfully as she said, "Well, I kinda got it from you dummy."

"Yeah, I guess you're right about that. I'm kinda oblivious to a lot of things."

"Besides that, just remember that you got us to help you get through these problems." Weiss said.

"Right, got it. Thanks for listening to me." I said.

Weiss laid her head against my shoulder and said, "No problem, you dolt." I blushed slightly and stood completely still. Okay, calm down. This isn't the first time it happened. Just relax. I breathed in and out slowly as I try not to disturb Weiss. I could feel my heart pounding rapidly. Strange, why does this feel so nerve-racking? Suddenly, I felt breathing behind my neck as I turned my head around and saw Kintaros. I jumped up slightly, which startled Weiss. "What? What's happening?"

" **Hello, Kurokuu."** Kintaros whispered.

"Kintaros, what is it?" I asked, still slightly startled from what just happened.

" **Kurokuu, tell me your wish."**

I was taken back by his words as the only thing I said was, "What?"

" **Your wish. Please, tell me your wish. I'll accept anything."**

"Wait, Kintaros. Why are you asking this out of the blue?"

" **If the contract is finished, I can leave you. I want to leave. It's way too crowded with the others and I don't want to be a burden on you."**

"But, Kintaros…"

" **Please tell me your wish!"** Kintaros pressed on.

Weiss and I are baffled by Kintaros' behavior. Why would he want to leave? Why did he think he was a burden on me? I tried to diffuse the situation by saying, "Kintaros, your sentiment makes me happy and all. But, I don't want to make a wish. I don't want any of you guys to leave because you think you're a burden to me."

Kintaros didn't listen as he kept on pushing **, "It can be anything, just tell me!"**

" **You bear bastard!"** I hear Momotaros say before drop kicking Kintaros, only for him to get pushed back.

Kintaros turns to Momotaros and asked **, "What is it?"**

" **What do you mean, what? Acting on you own like that! And how dare you use the same idea as me!"** Momotaros shouted as he gave Kintaros a light push.

" **And how was I supposed to know that?"**

" **Don't tell me you didn't know!"** Momotaros said before pushing Kintaros on the floor. Weiss and I tried to pry them off of each other until the lights came back on. We all stopped and looked towards the door. And standing near the lights were Urataros and Naomi.

" **Man, how pathetic."** Urataros said. He walked over to me and asked **, "Kurokuu, if you have any wishes related to women, that's my speciality. Although, I think you already reel one in."**

Weiss looked furious as she walked over to Urataros and gave him a huge smack across the face. " **Don't act cool when you're cutting in line!"** Momotaros shouted as he pulled Urataros off the bench.

Urataros quickly gets back up and said **, "I was born cool."**

" **Shut up, you perverted turtle!"** Momotaros shouted as he pushes Urataros. " **Alright, I've got it! Since you two are so keen on leaving, why don't you both go?!"**

Kintaros shakes his head in disappointment and said **, "You're the one to talk."**

Urataros rolls his eyes and said **, "How lame, Senpai."**

Momotaros growled in anger as he said **, "What was that? Say that again!"**

I could see where this is all going as I stopped Momotaros in his place and said, "Guys, stop! Thanks for worrying about me, but what is all of this about?"

Urataros scratched his head and said **, "Well...Mai said it's our fault that you collapsed."**

 **And we heard that you would kick one of us out for being such a burden on you."** Momotaros added.

"Guys, I'm fine. I would never kick anyone of you guys out." I reassured.

" **But, you're getting stronger. And if we stayed here, we would cause more harm than good."** Kintaros said.

"Guys, the only reason why I'm trying to get stronger is so you guys can stay here."

Momotaros, Urataros, and Kintaros looked at me with a shocked expression on their faces as they said **, "What?"**

" **He's right."** I looked around for Ryutaros until he jumped out of my body, playing with some puzzle. " **He's been doing lots of endurance training to keep his stamina longer, not just weapon training."**

" **Really?"** Kintaros asked with some comical tears coming out of his eyes.

"Yeah, he is." Weiss said for me. "You guys are important to Kurokuu, he would never kick any of you guys out. That's why we've been training for the past several days."

The imagins all sighed with relief except Momotaros. He exhaled loudly and said **, "In that case, you should've said something so none of us would freak out like that!"**

"I'm sorry for worrying you all. I should've told you guys." I apologized.

" **Yeah. Should've."** Momotaros said in a grumpy tone.

Then the door opens as Ruby came in and said, "Guys, big trouble! The imagin is back and he brought the Grimms in the city."

We all looked shocked except Momotaros, who looked more frustrated than anything else. " **Like I care! This ain't funny! All this nonsense, then Kasumi and that time traveling guy, and now this! My useless brain is used up! You guys do what you want!"** Momotaros said as he turned away from us, not making eye contact.

I stood up and pulled out the ticket and said, "Regardless, we have to take him down now, together." Weiss, Ruby, Urataros, and Kintaros agreed as I checked the date on the ticket. The date changed from 7/28/2008 to 7/29/2008.

* * *

 _Qrow and Summer tag team in order to take down the rabbit imagin. Qrow dashes forwards with a downward strike, but the imagin blocks the attack with his sickles. This left the imagin wide open though as Summer ran up to the imagin and slashed him from behind. The rabbit imagin growled in pain as he jumps up and slashes Qrow in the back. "QROW!" Summer shouted as she helped him up._

" _Damn, this thing is tough." Qrow said as he got back up._

" _But it's getting weaker. Just a little bit more and it's down." Summer said. "Now, come on. We got this." Qrow got up and stretched his arm out, with the weapon still in his hands. With a push of a switch, the large sword switched into a scythe like Summer's. They were ready to charge in until a portal opened up. "What is that?" Summer asked._

 _Qrow stared at the portal until he saw the Den-Liner coming out of it. "The Den-Liner…" Qrow muttered._

* * *

The Den-Liner made the stop as Mai, Team RWBY, and I got off. We saw the rabbit imagin fighting against two people. One who had red eyes and the other who looked eerily similar to Ruby. I looked over to Ruby and saw the tears coming out of her eyes as she muttered, "Mom…"

I realized who this person was as I said to Ruby, "Ruby, stay with me."

Ruby snapped out of her trance and wiped her tears away as she said, "Right. Mai, Weiss, Blake, Yang, you're with me on handling the Grimms. Kurokuu, can you handle the imagin?"

I pulled the Den-O belt out and said, "I got it." Ruby nodded as she lead her team and Mai to the horde of Grimm.

I wrapped the belt around my waist as the rabbit imagin said **, "Perfect. Fight me! If I have nothing to do, it bothers me!"**

Ruby's mom stepped forward and said, "What are you doing?! You're gonna get hurt!"

But the red eyed man stopped her as he said, "Summer, wait."

I clicked the blue button as it played an aquatic tune. "Henshin." I swiped the pass over the belt as it called out.

 **ROD FORM**

The armor materializes as the blue armor pieces and faceplate combine with it. " **I see. You look like the one who wants to be strung along."** Urataros said.

Ruby's mom looked shocked as she said, "Wait...is that?"

"I think so." The red eye man said.

" **Try to reel me in if you can!"** The rabbit imagin said as he charged towards Urataros.

" **But…"** Urataros stops for a moment as he uses the Den-Gasher to turn it into a rod. " **You're not my type."** The rod extends into its normal height as it stabbed the rabbit imagin in the chest. The rabbit imagin fell on the ground as Urataros smacks him again and again until he rolls out of the way.

Ruby's mom looked surprised as she said, "Wow, he's strong."

"Yeah, I think he can handle himself." The red eyed man said. "Let him do his job while we do ours."

"Are you insane? He's a child! What if he gets hurt?!"

"He'll be fine. If he's the one that Ozpin is talking about, then we have nothing to worry about. For now, we need to help aid the teams and VPD on fighting off the Grimms."

Ruby's mom thinks about it until she reluctantly agrees. "Okay. Let's go." And with that, they both ran off to fight off the Grimms. I focused my attention back on the fight as Urataros seemed to be handling the rabbit imagin quite well. The rabbit imagin tries to attack Urataros from the side, but he blocks the incoming attack and delivers a thrust to the stomach. The rabbit imagin growled as he jumps and drop kicks Urataros.

Urataros quickly gets back up as he blocks the incoming strike from above. He pushes the sickles away before striking the rabbit imagin in the shoulder. The rabbit imagin stumbles back a bit, giving Urataros the opportunity to thrust him in the chest multiple times. Urataros was going in for another thrust until the rabbit imagin catches the attack with his sickles. " **DON'T MESS WITH ME!"** The rabbit imagin shouted as he redirects the attack and slashes Urataros repeatingly. Then he grabs Urataros by the neck and throws him into a wall.

" **He's one hard fish to catch."** Urataros said as he got back up.

'Let's try overpowering him. Urataros, switch out with Kintaros.' I said.

" **Hai, hai."** Urataros said as he press the yellow button. It played a calm instrumental tune as Urataros swipes the pass over the belt.

 **AXE FORM**

The blue armor pieces disconnected as it changes into the yellow armor pieces. As the armor pieces combined, the rod form faceplate is replaced with axe form's. The rabbit imagin steps back as Kintaros cracks his neck. Tissue papers fell from the sky as Kintaros said **, "My strength has made you cry!"**

" **Just die!"** The rabbit imagin said as he charged straight at him. Kintaros throws the pieces of the Den-Gasher in the air as he combines the pieces to make the handle. The imagin got closer and closer until the last Den-Gasher piece combined with the handle, creating the axe. Kintaros quickly retaliates and slashes the imagin. The imagin stumbles back as Kintaros power walks towards him and slashes him again. The rabbit imagin slashes Kintaros across the chest, but that didn't bother him as he kept on going. Kintaros slashes the imagin relentlessly before kicking him into a car. The rabbit imagin got up and does a downward strike, but Kintaros blocks the attack and slashes him across the chest. " **If you want to cry, then I'll make you!"** The rabbit imagin said as he attempts to strike Kintaros again, but he redirects the attack and does an open palm strike back on him.

'Kintaros, why don't you switch out with Momotaros?' I asked.

" **Why should I? I'm about to finish him."** Kintaros said.

'You know how Momotaros can be.'

" **Oh well."** Kintaros said as he press the red button. It played an electronic tune as Kintaros swipes the pass over the belt.

 **SWORD FORM**

The yellow armor pieces detach from the armor as it changes into the red armor pieces. The red armor pieces combined as the axe form's faceplate is replaced with the sword form's. Momotaros stood still as he said his catchphrase in a monotone voice **, "Ore...Sanjou."**

'Uh, Momotaros? Are you okay?' I asked. He didn't respond as the rabbit imagin dropped kick him. Momotaros tried to get back up but the rabbit imagin slashed him across the chest, keeping him at bay.

" **You keep on changing!"** The rabbit imagin complained. Momotaros got back up as the imagin kept on slashing him relentlessly. " **What? Giving up already?!"**

The rabbit imagin slashed Momotaros in the chest before delivering a powerful kick, pushing Momotaros to the ground. This didn't seem to faze him as he said to me **, "Oi, Kurokuu. No more sneaking around in the past. And tell Kasumi about all of this. I hate things left unresolved."**

'Momotaros…'

" **Got it?!"** Momotaros asked as he changed the pieces of the Den-Gasher around.

'Got it. I'm sorry and thank you.'

Momotaros scratched his head as he said **, "As long as you get it."**

The rabbit imagin glared at Momotaros and said **, "What are you babbling about? Just fight me!"** Without waiting another second, he charged straight for Momotaros.

" **Argh! Shut up you asshole! I'm trying to have a moment here!"** Momotaros cursed as he trips the imagin. The imagin attempted to retaliate, but Momotaros blocked the attack and slashed him. Momotaros got up and said **, "Today I let you attack me in the beginning. But from here on out, this is the climax! IKUZE! IKUZE! IKUZE!"** Momotaros and the rabbit imagin both charged towards each other, as their weapons made contact with each other. The rabbit imagin performs a diagonal strike, but Momotaros evades the attack and slashes him across the stomach. The imagin stumbled back as Momotaros moves in and slashes him again and again before thrusting his sword into his stomach. Sand poured out of his stomach as Momotaros pulled out the pass and said **, "Here's comes the hissatsu."** He places the pass over the belt as it called out.

 **FULL CHARGE**

Lasers entered the sword as it glowed bright red. " **This is my hissatsu attack. Part five!"** Momotaros said as the blade disconnected with the hilt. Momotaros moved the hilt right and left to control the blade's movement. The blade slashed the rabbit imagin twice before Momotaros raises the hilt in the air and performs a downwards strike. The blade followed his exact movement as the blade descended on the imagin, cutting him in half. The rabbit imagin glowed red before spontaneously exploding, leaving nothing left of him. The blade returns to the hilt as Momotaros rests his sword against his shoulder and said **, "That's what I call a finisher."**

As he said that, for some reason I remembered all the finishers he did. Did he skip a number? 'Hey, Momotaros. Did you skip a number? I think you forgot four.'

" **No I didn't. Remember the finisher I did on that whale fish guy?"**

'Yeah, but you didn't say the number so I don't think that counts.'

Momotaros looked confused as he started counting out loud **, "One, two, three, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten."**

I laughed a little and pointed out, 'Yeah, I think you did skip number four.'

" **No, I didn't! It just that the finisher is so great that I skipped a number."**

'Yeah, right.'

" **The hell is that supposed to mean? Stop looking down on me!"** Momotaros said angrily. " **ONE, TWO, THREE, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE, TEN!"**

I laughed even harder as I said, 'Yep, it's confirmed. You clearly can't count.'

" **SHUT UP, KUROKUU! I GET IT!"** Momotaros yelled as he sat back down.

'Okay, I'll stop. For now, I need to regroup with the others.' I informed.

" **Right, I'll see ya' later."** Momotaros said before disconnected the belt. The armor dematerialized as I got up and went on a search for Team RWBY. My heart beated faster and faster as I got close to the outskirts of Vale. 'Please let them be okay.' I thought to myself as I arrived on the scene. I saw groups of huntsmans and huntresses escorting injured civilians and police officers as I saw that all of the Grimms were handled.

I moved around the crowd and saw Team RWBY and Mai, tired and covered in sweat. "Guys! You're okay!" I shouted as I ran towards them. Suddenly, I tripped over myself but Yang and Weiss caught me before I hit the ground.

"Woah there, Kurokuu. Of course we're fine, we've been training for this." Mai said as she cleans her bow.

Yang started stroking her hair as she said, "But man, I can't believe I lost several strands of hair!"

Blake leaned over to me and whispered, "She lost a few strands of hair today and let's just say that the Grimms didn't dare mess with her."

I gulped loudly as I knew what Blake meant by that. Then I hear footsteps coming towards us as I looked up and saw the red eyed man and Ruby's mom standing in front of us. "So, you're the Den-O, huh? I thought you'd be more taller." The red eyed man said as he took a sip from his flask.

"Thanks…" I said sarcastically.

"Ozpin told me about who you are. Just didn't expect the Den-O to be a kid."

"What would Ozpin say right now? 'You only think with your eyes, so you're easy to fool.' Is that something he would say?"

The red eyed man chuckled at my remark and said, "Yep, sounds about right. So I'm assuming you guys are from the future?"

"What makes you say that?" I asked.

"Well, I see two kids who should be in bed right now." The red eyed man said as he stared at Yang and Ruby.

Ruby's mom then walked up to both of them with some tears in her eyes and asked, "Are you two...Are you two really my beautiful baby girls?"

Ruby started crying too as she said, "Yes...Yes, mom. It's us."

Ruby's mom didn't hold back her tears anymore as she gave both Yang and Ruby a big hug. "My beautiful baby girls...All grown up and becoming huntresses like me! I love you both so much!"

Ruby and Yang hugged her tightly as Ruby said, "Mom...I missed you so much…"

The red eyed man joined in and said, "Hey, no hugs for Uncle Qrow?"

Ruby's mom smiled as she said, "Join in." The red eyed man, now named Qrow, joined in on the group hug, filled with tears of happiness.

Weiss, Blake, Mai, and I watch the touching moment play out as Weiss said, "This is actually...heartwarming."

Blake raised her eyebrow and asked, "Weiss, since when did you care about all of this?"

"Hey, just because I don't show affection doesn't mean I can't enjoy it!" Weiss said with a pouting expression on her face.

Mai smirked as she laid her hand on Weiss' shoulder and said, "What's this? Is Ice Queen's heart melting?"

"Shut up, Mai." Weiss said as she pushed her hand off her shoulders.

"And then, Weiss' heart grew three sizes today." I said jokingly. Weiss groaned as she rests her hand on her face.

The touching moment ended as Ruby's mom said, "No matter what happens to me in the future, just remember that I'm proud of who you are."

Ruby wipes her tears away and said, "Thank you, mom. It means so much to hear that from you."

As Ruby gave her mother one last hug, Qrow said to Yang, "Remember Yang, always look out for your sister. Got it?" Yang nodded as Qrow walked up to me. "And you, you better keep my nieces safe. Got it?"

"Got it." I replied.

"Good." Qrow said as he ruffled my hair. Then the portal opened as the Den-Liner appeared and made a stop for us. "Looks like it's your stop. I'll see you in the future, kiddo." Team RWBY, Mai, and I walked towards the Den-Liner and entered inside.

As we departed, Ruby and Yang waved happily as Ruby said, "Mom, Qrow, I love you!" We see Qrow and Ruby's mom give a small finger salute to them before the Den-Liner enters the portal.

* * *

We entered the nurse's office and saw Team JNPR and CF(V)Y huddling around the unconscious Velvet. Weiss walked up to Coco and said, "Hey, will Velvet be okay?"

"Yeah, she'll be fine. Velvet will just be away from combat for a while." Coco replied.

We all sighed in relief until Professor Ozpin walked in, "Hello Team RWBY, Mai, Kurokuu. I believe you have already dispatched the imagin?"

"Yeah, it...took awhile though." I answered.

"I expected that to happen." Professor Ozpin said as he opened up his scroll, which should a newspaper clipping off 7/29/2008. "Well, at least there wasn't any heavy casualties that day so we thank all of you for stopping the imagin."

Pyrrha looked surprised as she asked, "Wait, the attack on Vale was caused by that rabbit imagin?"

"Yes, Ms. Nikos. The council decided to fabricate the existence of the imagins so it wouldn't cause a global panic. They already have much on their plates with Grimms and they don't want to deal with the imagins." Professor Ozpin said before closing his scroll up. "Anyways, Beacon will start again on Wednesday for a new semester, so you all should best prepare soon." Ozpin said before walking out of the room.

Coco walked up to me and said, "Kurokuu, I just want to say thanks for helping Velvet with what she's going through."

"No problem. Besides, what are friends for?" I said with a smile on my face.

Coco smirked as she puts on her shades and said, "Right, friends. Well, we're gonna stay here and check on Velvet. You guys can go."

"Alright then, Coco. We'll seeya next time and I hope Velvet gets well soon!" Ruby said as we walked off to our dorms.

As we walked to our dorms, I pulled out the stopwatch and stared at it once more. Weiss peered over my shoulder and asked, "What's that written there?"

I looked over to Weiss and said, "'The past should give us hope.' When I found this watch where Shuichi disappeared, this was written here. He must've added it on there before he disappeared."

"'The past should give us hope.'" Mai recited.

"Is that something familiar to you?" I asked.

"No, I don't think so. But it feels familiar."

I sighed and said, "Well, Shuichi is still out there somewhere. Maybe one day, I'll see him again in the past and he'll talk to me."

Ruby faced us and walked backwards as she said, "Don't worry, Kurokuu. We'll find him." She pulled out her scroll as we arrived near our dorms. "And whatever we have in store for us in the future, we do it as a team!" Then Ruby swiped the scroll over the lock to unlock the door to our dorms. But when we opened the door, we saw something we didn't expect to see.

It was a man, who looked like he was in his early twenties. But what scared me was the eerie resemblance he has of Shuichi. Mai pulled out her bow and arrow and asked, "Who the hell are you?!"

Team RWBY all pointed their weapons at him, but he didn't seem fazed or frightened by it at all. He ignored them as he said to me, "I've been looking for you, Kurokuu Akarui."

I stepped closer to him as I asked, "Who are you? How do you know my name and why do you look like someone I know."

He didn't say another word as he pulls out a ticket with a picture of an armor fighter with a bull motif. My eyes widen as I wondered how he got the ticket. "A ticket? How did you get that?" Mai asked.

The man puts the ticket away as he said, "My name is Shuichi Nakamura." Once he uttered that name, I froze still in place. Just when I thought this could get any more confusing, this happens. The man, who claims to be Shuichi, stared at me as he waited for my response. How? How could this be? This can't be him. Right?

* * *

(A/N:) And here he is, Zeronos appears! Now I know you wondering about a few things like why I had Weiss tell Ruby about her crush on Kurokuu. Well to answer the Weiss and Ruby scene, Weiss hasn't been very active in trying to get Kurokuu to notice her. So I added this scene so in the future, she has someone like Ruby to help her strive to be with Kurokuu, essentially being Weiss' wing woman. (And yes, by now, this is an oc x Weiss ship. Sorry, if you wanted Ruby x oc or anyone else, but I chose her because I like Weiss' character on the show.)

Anyways, leave a review on what you thought about this chapter and I'll see you in the next one. Bye!


	12. Chapter 12: I'm Fairly Strong!

(A/N:) Hey everybody, welcome to another chapter of Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time. We last left off with past Shuichi making his appearance known to Kurokuu and the RWBY crew. And before I start, I would like to go on a rant for a bit so please bear with me. If you haven't noticed recently, some writers I know, including me, are getting alot of *ahem* reviews from certain individual or individuals(I don't know who and I don't care) that decided to take the liberty to hate on me and others. Prime examples of people being harassed are DCD10unite or awhile ago Magna Ryunoid. And I just want to say to the people who are sending me hate reviews, I personally don't feel offended or upset by any means. Then again, I am writing about you guys to get that off my chest, but that's not the point. The point is that what you say doesn't hurt me in any way because you don't know me, just like the same way I don't know you and what you've been through. And I don't know if this might end the hate reviews or cause more (Personally, I don't care either), but I want to get this off my chest for other writers going through the same thing. Also, I want to say thank you to all my readers for helping me reach around 7,000 views. I'm so glad and thankful that you guys are there to support me and take the time out of their day to read my story and help me become a better writer. Now without anymore interruptions, leave a review on what you thought about this chapter and I hope you all enjoy!

I do not I own the rights to the series RWBY or Kamen Rider. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth Productions and The Kamen Rider Series is owned by Toei Company

"Normal Speech"

'Thoughts/Inner communication between OC and imagin'

 _"Third Person/Flashback"_

 **"Imagin speech"**

Edited: 8/12/2017

* * *

I stood in shock as I stared at Shuichi. No. There's no way that can be him. I just saw him in the past, and he isn't this young. Maybe he's just pulling my leg. That's right, he's just toying with me. I snapped out of it and said sarcastically, "Yeah, right. You're Shuichi. And my name's Professor Ozpin. Now tell me, what's your real name?"

Shuichi rolled his eyes at me and said, "Like I said, my name is Shuichi Nakamura."

I clenched my fist in anger as I walked up to him and grabbed him by his collar. "Stop playing with me and just tell me who you really are and why you're here!"

Mai pulled me away from him and said, "Kurokuu, calm down." She looks up at Shuichi and asked, "Where did you get that ticket?"

"Well, I recieved the ticket from future me." Shuichi replied.

I froze in place once again when he mentioned present Shuichi. Blake asked, "Wait, so you're saying you're from the past?"

"Precisely. And I came here to deliver you all a message from him."

"And what is that?" Ruby asked.

"All of you will not make an attempt to interact or search for Shuichi." Shuichi said.

My anger disappeared, only for it to be replaced with confusion. I stood in front of him once more and bombarded him with questions, "Did you really come from the past? Why doesn't Shuichi wants me to search for him? Why-" My questions were stopped short as he punched me in the gut to shut me up.

Weiss ran towards me and said, "Kurokuu!"

As she helped me up, Shuichi said, "Man, are you in deaf or stupid? I already answered your question about if I came from the past. And for why Shuichi doesn't want you guys to find him is none for your business." He walked towards the closet door and opened it up, revealing the Sands of Time on the other side. "But here's one thing I can tell you, if you interact with Shuichi in the past, the flow of time will be warped." Without saying anything else, he entered the Sands of Time and closed the door, disappearing from my sights.

The room stayed quiet as I processed what just happened. Shuichi from the past is somehow here. How could this week get anymore more confusing? "Kurokuu...are you okay?" Weiss asked.

I took a deep breath and said, "Weiss, I'm fine."

* * *

 **Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time**

 **Chapter 12: I'm Fairly Strong!**

* * *

 _Meanwhile in the Sands of Time, Shuichi makes his way to a train. The train seemed to be model after steam locomotive train, with the front having the shape and horns of a bull. The train itself as a black, green, and yellow color scheme with some metallic chrome running throughout. This steam powered train is called the Zero-Liner. Shuichi was about to board onto the Zero-Liner until he heard a voice in his head_ _ **, 'Shuichi, the way you acted back there was no good.'**_

" _What?" Shuichi asked._

' _ **Shuichi, that wasn't nice of you to hurt Kurokuu like that.'**_

" _Does it matter? It's not my fault that Kurokuu is such an idiot. It's hard to believe that Kurokuu is the supposed 'Den-O' and how he's an all powerful rider that protects time. Please, I bet I can beat him with my eyes closed."_

" _ **Shuichi, that still doesn't give you a reason to hurt Kurokuu. If you want to be friends with him, do it properly-"**_

" _I'm not making friends with that weakling. All he'll do is slow us down from stopping the Imagins. We're better off without him " Shuichi interrupted._

 _The voice sighed and said_ _ **, "Shuichi, just give him a chanc-"**_

" _I said no. This conversation is over, I'm done talking about Kurokuu." Shuichi interrupted once more. He boarded on the Zero-Liner and entered the dining car. The interior is rather simple, with a gray and black painted interior, green tinted windows, and yellow doors. The dining car is rather small, only having booth, with a table included, and a few tables and chairs to sit at. Shuichi flopped on the booth as he asked, "Deneb, what's there to eat?"_

 _Then sand came off of Shuichi as it slowly formed in an imagin. The imagin dons a long black robe with a small hood. Along with the robe is a small black and green cloak with a face design on it. His arms is colored gray and his fingertips has holes in them. Around his wrists are black and gray gauntlets that cover his forearms and hands. And lastly, his face is partly covered by a yellow mask, but revealing his green eyes and gray mouth. The imagin, now named Deneb, clapped and rubbed his hands together as he answered_ _ **, "Today, we'll be having an authentic Vacuan meal! How does that sound?"**_

" _Sounds great, Deneb." Shuichi said as he kicked his feet up on the table._

" _ **Shuichi, could you please get your feet off the table? I don't want it to get dirty."**_ _Shuichi sighed as he complied to Deneb and set his feet back down._ " _ **Alright! I'll go prep the meal and it'll be done in thirty minutes!"**_ _Deneb said excitedly. Deneb was making his way towards the kitchen until he stopped._ " _ **Shuichi, after this, we should go see Kasumi!"**_ _Deneb suggested._

" _Why? I don't even know my 'future fiance.'" Shuichi said._

" _ **Well, since we're here in this time, I think it's best for you to go out and explore! And maybe get to know Kasumi?"**_ _Deneb reasoned._

 _Shuichi sat quietly, thinking about Deneb's suggestion. He sighed reluctantly and said, "Alright, fine. It's better than staying here all day until an imagin pops up."_

" _ **Alright! I'll make a big meal just for you!"**_ _Deneb said excitedly before dashing off to the kitchen, leaving Shuichi by his lonesome. Shuichi sighed softly as he pulled out a deck of cards. In said deck of cards, he pulls out a single black card with a green design on it. He flips the card over and the green design is switched with a yellow design instead. 'My time will come soon.' He thought to himself as he sat quietly in the dining car._

* * *

 _Meanwhile in the city of Vale, a wheelchair bound man is seen closing up his dust shop for the night. He has a pale complexion with a stubble around his face, dark brown eyes, and is completely bald. Once he finishes closing up the shop, he heads back inside for a good night sleep._

 _He positions his wheelchair on the lift as it takes him up slowly to his bedroom. Once there, he enters inside and heads towards the bathroom. He slowly changes out of his clothes and into his sleepwear before brushing his teeth. He enters back into his bedroom and goes to bed. As he sets his alarm for tomorrow, he looks over and stares at a group picture._

 _The picture has four people in it. One has pale complexion with green eyes and short, ginger hair and beard. He's seen wearing a bronze shoulder armor and a red, long sleeved shirt. He had his arms wrapped around the neck of a man with a tanned complexion with blue eyes and spiked up brown hair. He's seen wearing metal body armor that exposes his arms. Standing next to him is the wheelchair bound man, standing on his two legs. And lastly was Shuichi, smirking at the team's antics._

 _The wheelchair bound man sighed softly before going back to sleep. As he tries to sleep, he couldn't help but notice a yellow orb floating in us room. Then the yellow orb jumps inside him, causing sand to fall out of him and form into an imagin with a jellyfish motif. The wheelchair bound man scoots back in fear as the imagin asked_ _ **, "Tell me your wish. I'll grant that wish, but you'll have to repay me one thing."**_

 _The wheelchair bound man slowly calmed down as he listened to his offer. 'Any wish I want? A chance? Another chance of becoming what I was again?' He thought to himself. He stared at the imagin once more as he said, "I want to become a huntsman again."_

" _ **Your wish has been heard."**_ _The jelly imagin said. Suddenly, the wheelchair bound man felt a strange fatigueness take over as he slowly drifts off to sleep._

* * *

"Come on, Owner. I really need to go back and search for Shuichi." I begged.

The Owner slowly eats his pudding, trying to not topple his flag over, and said, "I cannot do that. Unless you have a ticket, you cannot get off in the past."

"Please! Is there any other way?" I asked as I slammed my hands on the table. The Owner gasped loudly as the flag toppled over. Realizing what I've done, I got my hands of the table and apologized, "I'm sorry!"

His face returned back to his neutral expression as he said, "There is one way. And that is if you have the ticket."

Momotaros is fidgeting with a rubix cube as he said **, "It's just a little trip. What's the harm in that? You sure are stingy."**

The Owner didn't take it lightly as he stood up and glared at Momotaros. Momotaros grabbed the nearest object to protect himself with as The Owner said, "I am stingy, after all." Without saying another word, he walks out of the dining car, leaving a very terrified Momotaros behind.

Urataros laid his arm on Momotaros' shoulder and said **, "Not my problem."**

Kintaros ganged up on him as well and said **, "Without a doubt, you'll be denied passage."**

Then Ryutaros joins in and hands Momotaros a flower. " **Without a doubt!"** Ryutaros said cheerfully.

" **Hey, Old Man! I'm sorry!"** Momotaros said as he chases after The Owner.

Everyone stayed silent for a moment until Weiss said, "Still, it doesn't explain why meeting the Shuichi from the present will warp time. I mean, we interacted with Ruby and Yang's mom and uncle in the past."

" **When you talk about that guy, he seems like he has quite the personality. But the question is if he really Kasumi's fiance?"** Urataros asked.

"There's no way." I answered. "He is much too different from the Shuichi I know. The Milk Dipper cafe has this theme of stars because Shuichi was into astronomy. He'd often take Kasumi and I to this park back in Vacuo to look at the stars and the moon. Although he acts like a little kid when talking about stars, he loves Kasumi's coffee. He was a kind man. He was like family to me and Kasumi, something we never had back then."

* * *

 _The Milk Dipper is rather quiet today with a few customers inside, enjoying their beverages. Kasumi was making a customer's coffee until the door opens, revealing to be Shuichi. She looked up at Shuichi and said, "Welcome to the Milk Dipper, please sit anywhere and make yourself comfortable." Shuichi complied as he sat at the table where the telescope was. He looked at the telescope, realizing that it was his. Kasumi walked towards Shuichi with a menu as she asked, "What would you like today?"_

 _Shuichi stopped staring at the telescope as he said, "Oh, coffee please."_

 _Kasumi nodded as she wrote the order down on her notepad. As Kasumi walked back to her counter, Shuichi kept on staring at his telescope, remembering the times he went stargazing with his team and Team STRQ. Shuichi could remember like it was yesterday before he was dragged into all of this._

 _But then, Shuichi snapped back to reality as Kasumi set down the cup of coffee he ordered. "Here's your coffee. Thank you for waiting." Kasumi said. Shuichi nodded as he took a sip of coffee. The bitterness of the coffee wasn't something that Shuichi particularly enjoy, so he opened the sugar jar next to him and began drowning his coffee in sugar. But, Kasumi stopped him as she said, "Wait a moment! Don't add it all at once. Try it bit by bit. Besides, coffee taste better without it."_

" _It's fine. I have a sweet tooth so I like my coffee very sweet." Shuichi replied as he kept on adding more and more sugar. Shuichi eventually stopped adding sugar and took a sip of his coffee. The taste of sweet coffee was enjoyable at first, until Shuichi realized that it was too much._

 _Kasumi sighed as she said, "Told you." Kasumi grabbed the cup of coffee and said, "Here, let me take it. Do you want another cup of coffee?"_

 _Shuichi didn't reply as he only nodded yes. Kasumi got the message as she walked back to her counter and started another cup. As Kasumi is making the cup of coffee, Shuichi just stared at her as thoughts ran through his head. 'So this is my supposed fiance in the future. I wonder why would future me go for someone like her?' To Shuichi, she doesn't particularly look interesting to him. So what made present Shuichi like Kasumi? Kasumi finished making the cup of coffee as she walked back to him and set the cup of coffee down in front of him._

" _Here you go, another cup of coffee. And please, try the coffee bit by bit this time." Kasumi said. Shuichi heeded her advice as he slowly added a spoonful of sugar. He took a sip of coffee and then added another spoonful, still tasting the bitterness of it. He took another sip again, but stopped adding more sugar, realizing that it was just right._

 _As Shuichi enjoyed his cup of coffee, Kasumi asked, "Excuse me, where have I seen you before? Could you be..?" Shuichi stood still, wondering if she remembers. She stared at Shuichi intensely before saying, "Are you Kurokuu's friend at Beacon?"_

 _Shuichi sighed as he turned away from her and said, "Friends? Not even close." He took a large sip of coffee, but immediately spat it out as he felt the coffee singeing his tongue._

* * *

The Den-Liner dropped us off in the city of Vale, away from the public obviously. Team RWBY, Mai, and I are walking around the docks as Yang asked, "So what now? The Shuichi we saw told us not to interact with him in the past and The Owner won't let us go back."

"I don't know. Unless we wait for another imagin to appear, I can't search for him. He only appears when an imagin travels back. But, I can't just let an imagin fly just to find Shuichi." I said stressfully as I sat near the edge of the docks.

"Kurokuu, I think for now, we shouldn't interact with the Shuichi in the past." Mai said.

I was shocked at Mai's suggestion as stood back up and said, "Mai, how can you say that?! He's in the past somewhere, hiding from me. And I need to find him."

"And we will find him. I understand what you're going through right now, but you can't let this control you." Yang said.

"You don't understand! He's the key to all of my questions like why he left me and Kasumi and how he fits in all of this."

"But at what cost?! Possibly warping time just to find answers?!" Yang shouted as her lilac eyes turned bright red.

"He could be lying!" I shouted back.

The tense atmosphere filled the air as Yang and I stared at each other. It felt like forever as I waited for her response. Then the sound of clapping broke the atmosphere as I look over and saw Shuichi. "So, you're still on the fence about trying to find Shuichi in the past." He said as he fidgets with some kind of card in his hands.

"You." I got back up and walked towards him. But then, I stopped dead in my tracks as I saw Kasumi running towards him.

"Thank goodness, I made it in time. You forgot your change." Kasumi said in between her breath. Kasumi looked up and saw me. "Oh, Kurokuu! It's great to see you again!"

I glared at Shuichi and muttered, "Why…?"

Kasumi looked at me and Shuichi and said, "Oh, so you guys are friends. I thought we met somewhere before."

I started to panic a little, what if she remember? I grabbed Kasumi by the shoulders and faced her in the other direction. "Hey, Kasumi. Could you go back to the cafe for a bit? We'll catch up later!" I asked, trying to get her to leave.

"Oh, right! I forgot to introduce myself!" Shuichi said.

My heart beated faster as I said to Shuichi, "There's no need for that!"

"That's no good, you can't let someone leave without learning your name." He faced Kasumi and said, "My name is-"

"Stop!" I turned to Kasumi and tried to drag her away from Shuichi. "Kasumi, please go!"

Kasumi had a confuse look on her face as she said, "Why? If you guys are friends, we should be introduced."

Shuichi had a grin on his face and said, "Shuichi."

Then I physically pushed Kasumi away from him and said, "Kasumi, just leave! This is none of your business!"

Silence filled the air as Kasumi stared at me in shock. My breathing became heavier while my heart beated faster. Mai grabbed Kasumi and said, "Kasumi, let me walk you back to the cafe. I would love to catch up."

"Kurokuu...why are you…" Kasumi muttered, still in shock at my sudden aggression. She brushes my hair aside and said, "Please, don't fight. I don't want you to get hurt. When you guys make up, we should drink coffee together." And with that, Mai walked Kasumi away from me and Shuichi.

I glared at Shuichi and asked, "Why, Kasumi?"

"Is that a problem? You interacted with future me in the past. I thought there was no need to hide anymore so I wanted to check up on my future fiance." Shuichi answered.

"Your?"

"But! Like I thought, she doesn't remember a thing about me. Honestly, I don't see why future me would love someone like her. So oblivious, just like you."

My blood slowly started to boil as I asked, "You...Who are you really?!"

"I said I'm Shuichi Nakamura. How many times does it take to get it through your damn skull?!"

"Well, excuse me for not believing in you."

"Why wouldn't you believe me? You saw how similar we look, how I have the ticket, and how I can also travel through the Sands of Time."

"But, you're not him! The Shuichi I know-"

"That doesn't matter!" Shuichi interrupted. "All that matters is that you just go on and keep noisily fighting the Imagins with your stupid team." He turned his back on me as he began walking away.

I caught up to him and said, "I'm not letting you walk away until you properly tell me who you are and what you know about Shuichi."

' **Kurokuu, move.'** I hear Momotaros say before taking over my body.

Team RWBY saw what happened as Blake asked, "Momotaros, what're you-"

" **Shut it, kitty cat. I can smell an imagin on this guy."** Momotaros said.

Shuichi turned around and faced Momotaros as he said, "So, you're nose is pretty effective."

Momotaros grabbed Shuichi by his jacket and said **, "Hurry up and get out here!"**

"Oh, come on. If you can't handle me, you can't handle Deneb. But if you want to mess with him, then go ahead." Shuichi said before moving back. Then a green aura surrounds him as his appearance changed. Shuichi's hair grew out past shoulder length with two locks of hair on the side of each head, with the lock of hair on the right side being neon green. He slowly opens his eyes, changing from dark brown to bright green.

'He has an imagin?' I asked Momotaros.

" **Interesting."** Momotaros said. He points at him and continues **, "Let's see who's stronger. Want to fight?"**

Momotaros and the imagin, who I believe Shuichi called Deneb, stared at each other intensely, waiting for their next move. Momotaros looked like he was ready to attack until Deneb said something that caught us completely off guard **, "No, I apologize."** Momotaros and Team RWBY looked shocked as he continues **, "Shuichi is wrong. Sorry, please forgive him."**

Momotaros didn't know how to react as he said **, "Hey, what is all of this?"**

" **I know, but Shuichi isn't a bad guy. In his heart, he just wants to be your friend."** Deneb slowly walked up to Momotaros and handed him two pieces of candy with his face on it. " **My special Deneb Candy. From now on, let's get along."**

Then his eyes widen as a translucent green figure was kicked out of Shuichi's body. The sand from the green figure slowly formed together into an imagin. "He made a contract!" Ruby exclaimed.

Shuichi faced Deneb and shouted, "Deneb, for the last time, I'm not gonna make friends with him or anyone!"

" **But...You need some friends in your life…"** Deneb muttered.

"No, I don't! They're just gonna slow us down from stopping the Imagins! So I don't need you to make friends for me!" Shuichi shouted.

Deneb was about to say something until Shuichi walked away. " **Shuichi, where are you going?"** Deneb asked.

"Back to the Zero-Liner. I'm done exploring!" Shuichi shouted back as Deneb followed him.

Momotaros and Team RWBY all stared at them as they walked away from us. Then my scroll starting ringing as Momotaros picked it up and saw that it was Mai calling. He answered the call and said **, "What?"**

"Momotaros, there's an imagin near the outskirts of Vale. He was trying to bring a beowolf in, but I managed to stop him in time. But, I could really use some assistance right now!" Mai said as sounds of screaming were heard in the background.

" **Right. I'll be there."** Momotaros said before ending the call.

"Momotaros, who was that?" Blake asked.

" **It's Mai. There's an imagin attack at the outskirts of Vale."**

Ruby pulled out Crescent Rose and shouted, "Then let's get going!" Team RWBY and Momotaros all agreed as they all rushed towards the imagin's location.

* * *

After running around for several minutes, we finally reached the outskirts of Vale. Civilians were fleeing for their lives as Mai is holding her own against the imagin, who has a jellyfish motif. "Yang, Blake, get the injured civilians away from the fight. Weiss, Momotaros, let's help Mai!" Ruby commanded.

We all nodded before going off on our separate ways. Momotaros pulled out the Den-O belt and wrapped it around his waist. He press the red button and shouts **, "Henshin!"** Momotaros swipes the pass over the belt as it called out.

 **SWORD FORM**

The armor materialized as the armor pieces and faceplate combined with it. Momotaros says his signature line while doing his pose **, "Ore sanjou!"**

Mai realized we were here and shouted, "Guys!"

The jelly imagin looked at us as he said **, "Den-O? Why am I not surprised."**

" **Heh, trying to bring a beowolf into the city. Trying to get your contract holder killed?"** Momotaros asked as he assembles his sword.

" **He wishes to become a huntsman again. And if he can fight them off, I can get my contract done quickly."**

Weiss sneered at him and said, "How expected."

Momotaros finished assembling his sword and said **, "Disgusting. From start to end, this is the-"** He was stopped mid-sentence when jelly imagin's tentacles whipped him across the chest. " **Oi! This is the important part of the speech!"**

" **I hate pre-battle nonsense."** The jelly imagin said.

"He is right, you know. It takes up lots valuable time when we should be fighting him." Ruby commented.

" **Shut it, Little Red!"** Momotaros shouted. He cleared his throat before saying **, "From start to end, this is the climax! IKUZE! IKUZE! IKUZE!"** Without waiting any longer, Momotaros, Weiss, and Ruby all charged in to help Mai fight the imagin. The jelly imagin used his tentacles to whip them, but Momotaros and Ruby took the initiative and began slicing off the incoming tentacles.

As they kept on slicing, Ruby shouted, "Weiss, Mai, try to attack him when he's vulnerable! We'll keep the tentacles under control!" Weiss and Mai nodded as they waited for their next attack. Ruby and Momotaros kept on slicing off all the incoming tentacles until Momotaros grabbed one of them. Mai and Weiss saw this opportunity as Weiss dashed in and stabbed the imagin in the stomach while Mai shot a fire dust arrow at his back.

The jelly imagin stumbled back for a bit, but he immediately got back up. The jelly imagin managed the wrap his tentacle around Ruby's scythe as he asked **, "Wanna see something shocking?!"**

Once he said that, the jelly imagin released an electric shock on Momotaros and Ruby. I could feel the electricity coursing through my body until the jelly imagin stop for a brief moment. Momotaros fell on his knees while Ruby flopped onto the ground, completely unconscious. "Ruby!" I hear Weiss shouting as she and Mai rushed towards us.

Mai looked around for a bit and said, "Everyone, move into the indoor parking lot! We need to limit his field of view!"

Weiss and Momotaros agreed as Momotaros picks up Ruby and places her over his shoulder. Weiss, Mai, and Momotaros wasted no more time and rushed to the indoor parking lot. They are on the move as they try to actively avoid the incoming tentacles. Eventually, they reached the rooftop of the building and with nowhere else to go. "Now what do we do?!" Weiss asked.

"Grab Ruby and uses your glyphs to get back with your teammates. Momotaros and I will handle him." Mai ordered. Weiss nodded as Momotaros gave Ruby to her. Weiss summoned her glyphs along the side of the building and began running down with Ruby on her shoulder. Mai had her bow ready as she and Momotaros awaited for the jelly imagin. She aimed her bow and whispered, "On the count of three, I'll fire a smoke arrow and you go straight in and attack him."

" **No, I have a better plan."** Momotaros whispered.

"What is it?"

" **Just watch and if anything goes wrong, just shoot him in the eye."**

The footsteps grow louder and louder until the jelly imagin appeared and shouted **, "Found you!"** Then he extends his tentacles towards us, but Momotaros, being Momotaros, charged straight in.

'Momotaros, are you insane?! Dodge out of the way!' I shouted.

" **Just watch."** Momotaros said. Then as the tentacles got closer, he jumped up and ran across it. The jelly imagin looked shocked as Momotaros got close enough to strike the imagin in the chest. The jelly imagin stumbled back as Momotaros stuck him in the chest again. Then Momotaros slashed the jelly imagin over and over again before delivering a front kick on him. The jelly imagin fell on the ground, but he slowly began liquefying. Momotaros tried to get him, but he was too late. The jelly imagin managed to escape. Momotaros sighed as he said **, "Damn, he got away."**

Mai stomped towards Momotaros and punched him in the nose as she shouted, "Momotaros, you idiot! What if Kurokuu got hurt from that?!"

" **He's fine."**

"No, he isn't!" Mai then hit Momotaros in the eye with her bow. "Go back to the Den-Liner!"

" **Tch. Fine."** Momotaros said as he disconnects the belt. The armor dematerialized as I fell on my knees, slightly worned out.

Mai helped me up and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. For now, let's just get back with the others." I said in between my breaths. Mai nodded as she put my arm of her shoulder and helped me limp my way back to Team RWBY. Mai and I limped out of the parking lot and back into the park, where Team RWBY were waiting.

"Kurokuu, are you okay?!" Weiss said worryingly.

"I'm fine, Weiss. How's Ruby?"

Ruby sat up against the tree and said, "I'm...A-Okay!"

I had a sigh of relief until I saw an unconscious man, lying on the grass. "Guys, call the ambulence! We have an injured man!" I shouted to Team RWBY and Mai as I limped towards him and tried to shake him awake. "Sir, Sir, are you alright?!"

The man slowly opened his eyes and said with a raspy tone, "Where am I? What happened?"

I was about to answer until I saw some sand trickling down his clothes. I cleared my throat and said, "We were attacked by a monster, but we managed to get away."

His eyes were wide like plates as he muttered, "Oh no…"

Once I realized he was the jelly imagin's contractor, I helped him up and said, "Okay, I already told my teammates to call the ambulance. Can you walk?"

"No, I can't. I'm crippled from the waist down. My wheelchair is over there." The man said as he points at the direction of the wheelchair. I carried him on my back and slowly walked towards the wheelchair. Once we arrived, I grabbed the wheelchair and folded it up for easy portability. Then I slowly made my way back to Team RWBY and Mai, who quickly mended to the man's wounds. But for some reason, his wounds slowly heal up. Is he a huntsman? Then the sound of sirens blared loudly as they arrived on scene and picked up the injured man and his wheelchair. Without wasting anymore time, they strapped him on the stretcher and drove off to the Vale Mercy Hospital.

As the ambulance move further and further away from us, a voice behind us said, "Guess I have to say that you have a kind heart like a certain rose I know."

We turned around and saw Shuichi leaning against the tree. Ruby looked slightly surprised as she asked, "Certain rose? Do you know my mother?"

"Yeah, I do. You look like a mini her." Shuichi said jokingly with a smile on his face. Kinda weird to see him smile.

But that's not the point, I took a deep breath before marching up to him and asking, "Can you stop dodging my questions and starting answering? What do you know about present Shuichi hiding in the past? You must know something, anything?!"

Shuichi's facial expression changed from happy to serious as he said, "I told you to just keep fighting the Imagins to protect the flow of time, not mess with it. And I already told you about what'll happen if you interact with future me in the past. Do you need any more explanation?" He stopped making eye contact with me and said, "If you can't accept it, then you might as well stop chasing the Imagins that fly. I'll do it myself."

"You will? How? You need the Den-Liner in order to travel."

Shuichi chuckled softly and said, "I have my own ride." Then sounds of flutes played in the air as the portal opened up in the sky, revealing a green train with a bull motif. Everyone looked shocked at the train's entrance as it lands right behind Shuichi. "Akarui. Our job isn't the same as any huntsman's or huntress'. Protecting the flow of time is much more important than the life of one. So don't loiter in time in a half-assed way, you're carrying the lives of millions in your hands." Without saying another word, he boarded on the train and took off.

We stared in silence as the train departed. Once it left, we snapped out of our trance as questions erupted everywhere. "What the hell was that?!" Yang shouted.

"Another train? How is that possible?" Weiss asked.

"I thought the Den-Liner is the only time traveling train." Blake said.

Ruby, on the other hand, looked excited and said, "That train looks awesome! But the colors are kinda...ehh."

I walked up to Mai and asked, "Mai, do you know anything about that train?"

"No, I don't know anything about it." Mai said. She looked back at Team RWBY and said, "Let's get back to the Den-Liner. Maybe The Owner knows something about this." Team RWBY and I agreed as we rushed towards a door and opened it to the Sands of Time.

* * *

 _Meanwhile on the Zero-Liner, Shuichi is seen eating and drinking milk and cookies while Deneb is dusting the place. Shuichi savors the cookies until Deneb sighed. He tries his best to ignore his partner's sighing, but Deneb was insistent on getting Shuichi's attention. He finishes one of his cookies and asked, "What is it, Deneb?"_

 _Deneb clears his throat and said_ _ **, "Well, the way you talked to Kurokuu, I feel bad for him."**_

" _So? I needed to get the message through his head. He's risking the lives of millions for his own selfish gains. He needs to learn."_

" _ **But, couldn't you be a little nicer about it? Kurokuu is going through alot right now in his life. What if he becomes discouraged and not do anything?"**_

" _Like I said to him before, I'll fight the Imagins myself. You and I can handle all of them." Shuichi picks up the glass of milk and chugs it all down. He grabbed the rest of the cookies and was ready to walked out of the dining car._

" _ **Shuichi, where are you going?"**_ _Deneb asked._

 _Shuichi stopped at the door and said solemnly, "To meet with an old friend." Deneb realized what Shuichi meant by that as he made no attempts to stop him._

* * *

"Zero-Liner?" I repeated myself to confirm what The Owner said.

"Yes. The Den-Liner runs on just one line. So it's not surprising that there are other lines." The Owner said as he walks slowly down the dining car. "And if he uses the Zero-Liner, that surely means he is in position of protecting time. If he tells you to stay away from Shuichi in the past, you best heed his warning."

"But, the question I'm wondering about is how he got his hands on the Zero-Liner to begin with?" Blake asked The Owner.

"A good question indeed. The Zero-Liner should've been erased along with the erased timeline."

My eyes widen at what The Owner said as Mai stood up and asked, "Erased time? You mean…"

The Owner said nothing more and walked out of the dining car. The Den-Liner made a stop for disembarking passengers. "We have made a stop. For those disembarking, please remember to bring your belongings with you." Naomi said through the speakers.

Answers. I need answers for all of this. I gotta find Shuichi, he needs to answer me. As I got up, I hear Ruby shouting, "Kurokuu, where are you going?!"

I didn't answer Ruby, I couldn't waste anymore time. I got off the Den-Liner and made my way towards a door. I reached out and grabbed the handle. I was about to open it until I felt a tense grip on my shoulder. I looked over and saw Yang with a worried look in her face. "Yang, let go." I asked.

"No, Kurokuu. Not until you tell me what you're gonna do." Yang said sternly.

"I'm gonna go find Shuichi. I need to go talk to him."

"And what if he doesn't say anything?"

"Well, I have to find something! If I can't interact with Shuichi in the past, maybe I can get some type of answer out of him! Why are you trying to stop me?"

"I'm not trying to stop you, I'm trying to tell you to slow down."

"Slow down? SLOW DOWN?! HOW COULD I?! HOW COULD I SLOW DOWN, KNOWING THAT HE'S OUT THERE?!" I felt this pent up frustration inside me and I just want to get it all out. I fell in my knees as I slammed fist in the sand and yelled at the top of my lungs, "AHHHHHHHHHH!"

Silence filled the air between us as neither one of us said a single word. Then I felt Yang's hand on my shoulder, but instead of her tight grip, it was a soft and comforting grip. I felt tears rolling down my face as I said, "All my life, I haven't felt this confused before. I thought that time would pass on and we would forget about him. And then, my world has been flipped upside down. Now, all I want is just answers. Answers to help make sense out of all of this."

I heard Yang take a deep breath before sitting down next to me in the sand. She wrapped her arm around my shoulder and said, "I don't blame you. I understand exactly what you're going through." Yang stayed quiet for moment until she asked, "Have you ever wonder why me and Ruby don't look alike?"

I briefly remember their mom, who looked exactly like Ruby but not Yang. "Is it because you're step siblings?" I guessed.

"Nice try, but no. She's my half sister. Ruby and I lived happily with our parents back in Patch. Our dad is a teacher at Signal Academy and our mom is a huntress, the one you saw back in the past. Her name is Summer Rose, and she was, like Super-Mom: Baker of cookies and slayer of giant monsters. And then... one day she left for a mission and never came back."

My eyes widen at what she said. That's when I connected the pieces. That's Ruby was crying when she saw her mother, she died. I immediately starting feeling empathy for Yang and Ruby, losing someone so important to you at a young and tender age is devastating.

Yang took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure and continued, "It was tough. Ruby was really torn up, but... I think she was still too young to really get what was going on, y'know? And my dad just kind of... shut down. It wasn't long before I learned why. Summer wasn't the first love he lost; she was the second. The first... was my mom. He wouldn't tell me everything, but I learned that the two of them had been on a team together with Summer and Qrow, and that she'd left me with him right after I was born. No one had seen her since."

"Did you ever find out why?" I asked.

"That question... Why?" Yang then started to draw something in the sand with her finger as she continues her story. "I didn't know an answer, but I was determined to find out. It was all I thought about. I would ask anyone I could about what they knew about her. Then, one day, I found something. What I thought was a clue that could lead me to answers, or maybe even my mother. I waited for dad to leave the house, put Ruby in a wagon, and headed out. I must've walked for hours. I had cuts and bruises, I was totally exhausted, but I wasn't gonna let anything stop me. When we finally got there, I could barely stand, but I didn't care; I had made it. And then I saw them. Those burning red eyes. There we were: A toddler sleeping in the back of a wagon and a stupid girl too exhausted to even cry for help. We might as well have been served on a silver platter. But, as luck would have it, our uncle showed up just in time. My stubbornness should've gotten us killed that night."

She finishes her drawing, which is a picture of a wing of some bird. "Yang, I'm sorry that happened to you." I said softly.

"Thanks for the support, but that's not the point. What I'm trying to say is that I don't want you to stop searching for answers. I mean, I still want to know what happened and why my mother left me. But I won't let that search control me." Yang them gave me a warm embrace and said, "Please, just slow down. Everyone is worrying about you, especially Weiss. For her sake, don't worry her anymore."

I wipe off the remaining tears on my face and said, "Okay. I'm sorry for making you guys worry so much about me. I mean that, really."

"It's okay. If you need some time for yourself, go on ahead." Yang said as she walks back to the Den-Liner. But, she turns around and said, "Also, you better start taking care of Weiss. It's the least you can do for all the troubles you caused her." And without saying another word, Yang enters inside the Den-Liner as it departs. I watch the Den-Liner drive off as I slowly walk back to the door. I took a deep breath before opening it to the city of Vale.

As I walked around, I thought about what Yang told me. I've been so focus on finding answers, I never thought about what everyone around me is going through. How selfish can I be? Then I walked by the Vale Mercy Hospital and saw the jelly imagin bust into the building with his tentacles. I watched as I saw the contract holder being grabbed by the jelly imagin and being taken off into another direction. Knowing what'll happen next, I pulled out my pass and chase after the fleeing imagin.

* * *

 _Several Minutes Prior to Kurokuu's Arrival_

 _Shuichi entered the Vale Mercy Hospital and walked up to the lady up front. "Excuse me, I'm here to see Xavier Charleston." Shuichi stated._

 _The lady searches through the patient list and said, "Oh, he's up on the third floor, room 117."_

" _Thank you." He said calmly before walking to the location of the room. After three flights of stairs and walking down the halls, Shuichi arrived at the patient room 117. He knocks on the doors, waiting for a response._

" _Come in." A voice said. Shuichi entered inside and saw the wheelchair bound man, now dubbed Xavier, sitting silently as he stares off in the distance. Xavier made no eye contact as he asked, "And who do I owe this pleasure of meeting?"_

 _Shuichi took a deep breath and said, "It's me, Shuichi."_

 _Xavier's eyes widen at what Shuichi said. He turned around and faced him to make sure it wasn't a dream. Xavier's heart stopped as he stares at his old friend and brother. "Shuichi...I-It's you...It's really you." Xavier said with a shaky voice._

" _Yeah...it's me." Shuichi said. "May I have a seat?"_

" _Go right on ahead." Shuichi complied as he pulled out a chair and sat next to his friend in bed. Xavier started tearing up a bit and asked, "How? How are you alive? We thought….We thought you died back in Kuroyuri…"_

" _Yeah, I thought I was gonna die too. But, someone I knew well saved me and helped me back on my feet."_

" _And how are you still so young? You look exactly like how you looked twenty years ago."_

 _Shuichi thought about his next words for a moment before saying, "Let's say this happened under strange circumstances. And now, the person that save me gave me a role to stop the monsters you saw."_

" _Monster? You mean that jelly monster thing?"_

" _Yeah, I assume that you made some type of contract with it?"_

 _Xavier looked away as he said, "Yes, I did."_

" _What was it?"_

" _I wish...that I could be a huntsman again." Shuichi looked confused by what Xavier meant until he saw the wheelchair tucked in the corner. "When...we thought you got KIA on that search and destroy mission back in Kuroyuri, the panic that the monster caused in the forest, lured the Grimm to the town. Nererus, Ulysseus, some local huntsmen, and I managed to keep the town safe, but I got injured in the process. Ozpin and the medical staff couldn't fix my legs, and this was before robotic body parts existed. So, I couldn't finish my last year at Beacon and I had to give up my dream." Shuichi stared at Xavier with shock and guilt in his eyes. Xavier picks up on this and asked, "Shuichi, what's wrong?"_

 _Shuichi clenched his hands into a fist as he said, "I'm...I'm sorry…"_

" _Why? You didn't do anything."_

" _Exactly. I didn't do anything. If I was stronger back then and stopped the monster quickly, maybe you wouldn't be like this because of it."_

 _Shuichi made no eye contact with Xavier, not wanting to stare at him any longer. "Shuichi, it wasn't your fault. You couldn't do anything about it. Bad things just happen, it's something we can't control. But, it's up to us to keep moving forward through tough times." Shuichi looked back up as he saw Xavier with a smile on his face. He leaned over to Shuichi and poked him on the forehead. "I'll never hold it against you. We're teammates, brothers, and best friends." Shuichi slowly cracked a smile as Xavier said, "Now, there you go. That's the Shuichi I know and love."_

 _Shuichi and Xavier slowly started laughing with each other, enjoying this moment with each other. As Shuichi slowly calmed down, he heard something moving up towards the building. Then, out of nowhere, tentacles broke through the glass and grabbed Xavier out of the room. "Xavier!" Shuichi shouted as he sees the jelly imagin fleeing off to the outskirts of Vale, where the city meets with the forest. He looks down and sees Kurokuu already on his way to the location of the imagin. Shuichi took a deep breath before running out of the building and after his teammate._

* * *

I followed the jelly imagin to the outskirts of Vale again as he runs into the forest. I wandered through the trees until I saw the jelly imagin drop the contractor on the floor. He threw a revolver at him and said **, "Here, use this. When a beowolf comes, you aim your gun at its head and shoot it! Got it?!"**

The contractor is visibly shaking as he picks up the gun to defend himself. Slowly, the growls of beowolves were heard as one of them appeared in front of the contractor. He aims his gun at the beowolf, but his hands are shaking uncontrollably. The beowolf sensed his fear as it charged straight at him. Fearing for his life, he pulled the trigger, shooting the beowolf's head clean off. The jelly imagin snickered and said **, "Contract complete."** Then he jumped into the contractor's memories.

I rushed towards him and asked, "Sir, are you alright?"

He remained emotionless as I pulled out the ticket and placed it near his head. The ticket showed the picture of the jelly imagin with the date 12/13/1997. I was ready to take off until I realized that I can't leave him there. I picked him up and ran as fast as I could away from the forest and back into the city of Vale. I had to rush quickly, I couldn't let the imagin run rampant in the past for too long. So I laid him against the tree and began rushing to a door. I open the door to the Sands of Time and saw the Den-Liner making a stop.

I rushed inside, running past everyone inside. "Kurokuu, what's going on?" Ruby asked.

"The imagin just flew. We're going back to 1997, so get ready!" I said to everyone as I headed to the engine room. I slipped the ticket in the pass and set the pass inside the Den-Bird. I hopped on the bike and revved it up as we prepare to enter 1997.

* * *

 _December 13, 1997_

 _A young Xavier is carrying an unconscious man over his shoulder as he and his team rushed back to Kuroyuri. "Nereus, how long until we get back to town?" Xavier asked._

" _About a few more minutes." Nereus answered as he throws his spear at a beowolf._

" _Well, we have to hurry! Li's wounds can kill him if it's not treated in time!"_

" _We know that!" Ulysseus said as he stabs a beowolf with his sword. Then another beowolf pounced Ulysseus, but he whack it away with his shield. "He just has to hold it out for a bit longer!"_

 _Xavier groans as he keeps up with his team. But suddenly, he stops dead in his track as sand poured out of him. Nereus noticed the sand as it slowly formed into the jelly imagin. "Xavier, watch out!" Nereus shouted at the top of his lungs._

* * *

Team RWBY, Mai, and I rushed around the forest, looking for the jelly imagin. "Do you guys see him anywhere?" I asked.

"Over there!" Mai shouted. I looked at the direction she pointed in and saw the jelly imagin, ready to kill the young contractor.

"Mai, hurry!" I shouted as I ran towards him. As I ran towards him, an arrow passed by me and hit the jelly imagin in the head. Seeing the opportunity, I tackled him away from the contractor and his group. The jelly imagin and I tumbled down a hill before landing in an open field.

The jelly imagin slowly got up and shouted **, "You...insufferable child!"** He was about to whip me with his tentacles, but I managed to roll out of the way in time.

"Kurokuu!" I looked to my right and saw Team RWBY and Mai rushing towards me. "Are you alright?" Weiss asked.

"Fine. We just need to-" I stopped myself for a moment as I hear footsteps and howling coming towards us. "Guys, we got company." I warned everyone.

"Alright, Yang, Blake, you're with me on handling the Grimms. Ruby, Weiss, help Kurokuu in fighting the imagin." Mai ordered. We all nodded in unison before going off and following Mai's orders.

Ruby pulled out Crescent Rose and asked, "Are you ready for round two?"

I pulled the belt out and said, "Let's do it." I wrapped it around me and hit the red button. It played it's electronic tune as I shouted, "HENSHIN!" I swiped the pass in front of the belt as it called out.

 **SWORD FORM**

The armor materialized with the red armor pieces and faceplate combining with it. Momotaros rolled his shoulders and said his catchphrase **, "Ore sanjou!"**

Weiss and Ruby readied up their weapon as Momotaros creates his weapon. He rests his sword against his shoulder and said **, "I'm gonna tell you this now. This time, from beginning to end will always be at the climax. IKUZE! IKUZE! IKUZE!"** Momotaros, along with Weiss and Ruby, charged straight at the jelly imagin.

" **DON'T GET IN MY WAY!"** The jelly imagin shouted as larges tentacle sprout from his back. Ruby and Momotaros head in first as they sliced each of the incoming tentacles. With the cover Ruby and Momotaros are creating, Weiss uses her glyphs to slide in between them to attack the jelly imagin. But, he sees this coming as he grabs Weiss by the neck and choke slammed her into the ground.

"Weiss!" Ruby shouted before charging straight in. The jelly imagin sees her and uses his tentacles to grab and shock her.

'Momotaros, you have to save Ruby!' I shouted.

" **Alright, I got it!"** Momotaros said as he rushes in and slices the jelly imagin's tentacle off, freeing her. Momotaros then slashed the imagin in the chest before punching him in the face. The jelly imagin stumbled back as Momotaros rushed in and slashed him again and again. Momotaros was gonna go in for a stab, but the jelly imagin used his tentacle to disarm Momotaros and whack him away. Momotaros was about to get up, but a charge of electricity inside him caused him to be stunned. " **Crap...can't...move…"** Momotaros muttered.

I see the jelly imagin walking closer and closer to Ruby as he said **, "It's about time that I should get rid of this pest."**

'Come on, Momotaros. We gotta...save Ruby…' I said to Momotaros, trying to encourage him to get back up.

" **I...still can't...move…"** Momotaros replied. The jelly imagin raised his tentacle in the air, ready to kill Ruby. I thought all was lost until I heard the jelly imagin cry in pain. I looked back up and saw an arrow lodged in his shoulder.

" **AH! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS NOW?!"** The jelly imagin shouted as he yanked the arrow out of him. He stared at the arrow as it exploded in his face. I looked up and saw Shuichi with a crossbow in his hands. While the imagin is stunned, Shuichi charged in and moved Ruby and Weiss out of the way.

"Ruby, are you okay?!" Shuichi asked worryingly.

"Yeah...I'm fine." Ruby replied.

Shuichi gently laid the unconscious Weiss on the floor before getting up and walking up to me. "How pathetic. You couldn't even save your own teammate." Shuichi said. I growled in response, but he wasn't wrong. I couldn't save Ruby. "Let me show you how it's done." Shuichi pulls the handle of the crossbow up as the limbs of the crossbow collapse and close together. Then he flicks his arm out, revealing the blade of the weapon.

The jelly imagin groans in pain and said **, "You...YOU'RE GONNA DIE!"** The jelly imagin extends his tentacles and uses it to whack him, but Shuichi didn't show any fear as he stood in place.

Momotaros growled and shouted **, "OI, MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!"** Suddenly, Shuichi seemed to move backwards, like rewinding a video, and appeared right behind the imagin. Shuichi raised his sword and slashed the imagin in the back.

The jelly imagin fell on his knees and asked **, "What the? How did you-"**

"My semblance, I call it retrace. Think of it as rewinding a tape, I move backwards in time to the position I was in before." Shuichi explained.

The jelly imagin looked more annoyed and shouted **, "YOU WON'T STOP ME!"** Then the jelly imagin turned around and tried to whip him, but Shuichi sliced the tentacle off and slashed him across the chest.

"I just want to get rid off you quickly." Shuichi said as he pulls out a belt. The belt was mainly colored in metallic black and gray with green and yellow design crossing together in the front. The strap of the belt includes a holder, for what I believe to be card. Shuichi throws down his weapon and wrapped the belt around him. He pulled out a green card from the holder and slides a switch on top of the belt. The sounds of flutes played as Shuichi raised the card in the air and shouted, "HENSHIN!" He slides the card in, forming a letter A in the front.

 **ALTAIR FORM**

The armor materializes as it shows a black under suit with a green design running down the from the upper arm to the forearm. His forearms, legs, and knees are plated with a metallic black armor. Then green armor pieces appears as it combines with the under suit. The green armor has a yellow train tracks converging with each other, giving off the appearance of zippers. Then the tracks on the helmet glows green as the faceplate, which had a bull motif, attaches with the helmet. Shuichi raises his arm in the air and did a chopping motion as lighting appeared and struck the jelly imagin.

'What the? He's a rider too?' I asked.

Momotaros snapped out of his paralysis as he sat up and said **, "Damn, this jerk trying to be cool!"**

Shuichi took a weapon piece on his belt and combined it with the other one, creating a sword. He stabs the sword in the ground and said, "Let me say this from the start, I'm fairly strong."

 **You?! Are you Den-O's comrade?!"** The jelly imagin asked.

"Comrade? Not even close. He's not worth being called my comrade. I am me!" Shuichi said as he charges straight at the jelly imagin. The jelly imagin extends his tentacles, but Shuichi slices it and jumps over him. The jelly imagin swings his tentacles again, but Shuichi used his semblance to return back to his original position from before. "This is taking too much time. Deneb, you're up!" Shuichi said. The jelly imagin was ready to shock Shuichi, but Deneb appeared out of nowhere and caught it in time. Deneb didn't seem fazed by the electric shock as Shuichi said, "Deneb, I need you to hold him there!"

" **Roger!"** Deneb said as Shuichi jumped on him and slashed the jelly imagin from behind.

Shuichi slashed the jelly imagin relentlessly until Deneb lets go of the imagin's tentacle. "Deneb, why did you let go?!" Shuichi shouted.

" **That way of fighting is too cowardly. I can't stand it."**

Shuichi groaned and said, "Fine, you big baby." Shuichi retraced back to Deneb and said, "If you're so keen on fighting honorably, you do it."

" **Roger!"** Deneb said as he moves behind Shuichi. He pulls out the card and switches side, revealing a yellow card. He slides the switch again and slides the card in as it calls out.

 **VEGA FORM**

The Altair Form faceplate disappeared as another set of armor covered his body. Deneb crossed his hands together and places them on Shuichi's shoulder, creating shoulder mounted guns. The chest piece opens up, revealing Deneb's face. Then two drills appear and attach with the helmet as it spins around and splits open, creating the faceplate. And lastly, a cape attaches with Shuichi's back, completing the change.

Ruby and Momotaros stared at Shuichi's new form as Ruby shouted gleefully, "That transformation looks awesome!"

The wind picks up as Deneb said **, "Let me say this from the start, the face on my chest is just decoration."** Deneb looks at his chest and said **, "Well, I don't like fooling him."**

It looks like Deneb is talking to Shuichi, but the jelly imagin couldn't take the hint. " **Oi! Don't babble about stuff I don't understand!"**

" **Calm down!"** Deneb said while raising his hand in front of him. " **I am very sorry about the previous attack. I apologize."**

" **Huh? He's saying sorry to him?!"** Momotaros asked.

"Well, is it bad to be too apologetic?" Ruby asked.

" **I don't even know."**

We continued watching the fight as the jelly imagin shouted **, "You're mocking me?!"** Then he was about to whip Deneb until he moves out of the way. He attempted to whack Deneb again, but Deneb blocked it with his sword. The jelly imagin snickered as his tentacle wrapped around Deneb's sword, leaving him wide open for an attack. " **Got you!"** The jelly imagin as he extends his tentacles at him, but Deneb used his shoulder mounted guns and demolish the tentacles and the jelly imagin.

The jelly imagin was sent back as Deneb switched his pieces around, changing the sword into a crossbow. The jelly imagin struggled to get up as Deneb pressed a button on top of the belt.

 **FULL CHARGE**

The card shined bright yellow as Deneb pulled the card out and inserted into the crossbow. Lasers emitted from the stock of the crossbow to the tip as energy slowly builds up. He points his crossbow at the injured imagin and fired. The energy pierced through the jelly imagin, creating a v mark on his body before exploding. Deneb rest his crossbow against his shoulders and said **, "See, Shuichi? This is an honorable way to win."** Then Deneb pulls the card out of the belt. The card slowly dissipate as Deneb disconnects the belt, causing the armor to dematerialize.

Momotaros carries Weiss over his shoulder as he and Ruby approach Shuichi. " **What a showy entrance, but didn't you take quiet a long time?"** Momotaros asked as he disconnects the belt. The armor dematerialize as I stood still, breathing heavily.

"Kurokuu! Ruby! Weiss! Are you guys okay?!" I heard Yang shouting in the distance. We look over and saw Yang, Blake, and Mai walking slowly towards us. They soon saw Shuichi and rushed towards us. "You. What're you doing here?" Yang asked.

"Finishing the job for your friends." Shuichi answered. He looks at me and said, "You really are weak. I mean, you could barely stand after that fight. Are you really supposed to be the one that protects time? Hell, you couldn't even save your own teammates." Then the portal opens up as the Zero-Liner enters this time period. The Zero-Liner lands as Shuichi made his way to the entrance. He turns around and asks me, "Kurokuu, why do you fight? You're weak, you have the worst case of bad luck, and you know nothing. So why keep on fighting? And you better have an answer the next time I see you." Without saying another word, Shuichi enters inside as the Zero-Liner departs.

Silence filled the air as I thought about that question. Why do I fight? I wasn't forced to so why did I choose to fight? Then I felt someone's hand on my shoulder as I turned around and saw Mai. "Come on, let's go home." Mai said. I nodded yes as we all waited for the Den-Liner's arrival.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Xavier is sitting in bed, watching the night sky. Then a knock on the door caught his attention as he said, "Come in."_

 _The door opens to reveal a nurse as she walks in and hands him a large package. "Sir, you have a package from someone."_

" _Thank you." Xavier said as the nurse left him. Xavier pulls the ribbon apart and opens the lid._

 _There is a cardboard cover with a note taped on it which read, "Dear Xavier, I know you said that I shouldn't feel guilty about what happened to you. But I couldn't help but repay you for all these years I've been missing. Here's something special to make up for that lost time and not being there for you. Your brother, Shuichi." Xavier felt touched by Shuichi's words on the note. He then lift the cardboard cover and what he saw brought tears to his eyes. Inside, it is revealed to be a state of the art, Atlas robotic legs. Xavier let the tears fall down his face, not tears of sadness, but tears of joy._

* * *

 _Meanwhile, on the Zero-Liner, Shuichi is sitting quietly, eating and drinking milk and cookies. Deneb sighs happily and said_ _ **, "Shuichi, that was very nice of you for helping you old partner."**_

" _I'd do anything for a brother. Good thing Oz had some robotic legs available for him."_

" _ **Speaking of Professor Ozpin, what did you owe him since he was the one that gave you the robotic legs?"**_

" _Don't know. Oz said to meet him at Beacon and we'll 'negotiate.'"_

" _ **Oh, I see."**_ _Deneb said before he continues cleaning the dining car._

 _As Shuichi eats his cookies, he remembers a certain rose he knows. "Summer, I'm sorry…" He muttered quietly._

* * *

 _Weiss groans in pain as she slowly wakes up from her slumber. She opens her eyes to see Ruby and Yang playing games and Blake reading her book, but no signs of Kurokuu. Ruby turns around as she sheds out comical tears. "Weiss, you're okay! I thought you died!" Ruby said as she hugged Weiss tightly._

" _Ugh, get off me!" Weiss said._

" _Oh, sorry." Ruby said softly as she lets go of Weiss._

" _What happened?"_

" _You got knocked out by the imagin. He choke slammed you to the ground and you were out the entire time." Yang answered._

" _Ooh! Ooh! And Shuichi came out of nowhere and saved the both of us! And he showed off his cool semblance, then his awesome armor, and that explosive finisher. That imagin went KABOOM!" Ruby said really fast with excitement in her voice._

" _What?" Weiss asked._

" _What Ruby meant was that Shuichi save you and Ruby. And it turns out that Kurokuu isn't the only one that can transform and fight." Blake answered._

" _Oh. Speaking of Kurokuu, where is he?"_

" _I think he's on the rooftops. Why? Are you gonna go make out with him?" Yang said with a cheeky grin on her face._

" _What? I-I?! The nerve of-! Gah! I'm going!" Weiss shouted as she left the dorm._

 _Ruby looked at Yang and said, "Yang, don't tease her like that!"_

" _What? It was a joke. Besides, she didn't say no." Yang said jokingly before receiving a pillow to the face._

* * *

It was a beautiful night, the moon is shining, the stars are out, and the air is nice and breezy. I saw quietly as I played the chords on the guitar. The G string sounded out of tune, so I tweaked the G string with tuning pegs and played it until it sounded right. I cleared my throat and took a deep breath before starting.

 **(Cue~Home[feat. Casey Lee Williams] by Jeff Williams)**

I started playing the notes of the song. The music sounds is soft and peaceful, it gave me this bliss that I haven't felt for awhile. As I keep playing the song, I prepare myself for the verse of the song. I cleared my throat and took a deep breath before singing:

Hush your cries, close your eyes,

Stay with me

Let's just dream

Quietly

Of what might be

Calm your fear

I'll be near

To you I'll cling

Rest my friend

Time can mend

Many things

I don't know the answers

Tomorrow's still unknown

But I can make this promise

You won't be alone

'So far, so good. Looks like these old pipes aren't as rusty as I thought.' I thought to myself as I kept going:

I don't know

Where we should go

Just feeling farther from our goal

I don't know

What path we will be shown

But I know that when I'm with you I'm at home

I stopped singing and continued playing as I let myself go for the night. "You have a beautiful voice." A voice said. I jumped and stopped playing as I turned around and saw Weiss standing by the door.

"Weiss, you scared the hell out of me." I said as I slowly tried to calm down.

Weiss sat next to me and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't meant to. I didn't know what you were doing until I heard you sing. You sing very beautifully by the way."

"Oh, thanks. I haven't sung in awhile ever since we got here. You know, fight the Imagins and White Fang stuff kinda kept me busy from relaxing. I kinda sing when I just want to clear my head."

"I don't blame you. Our break was anything but relaxing." Weiss commented. "Is that guitar yours?"

"No, it's Jaune's. He let me use it to play."

"Well, would it be okay if you kept on playing?" Weiss asked.

"I don't see why not." I cleared my throat once more and started the song back up again. I played the tune for a bit before singing the second verse and chorus:

There's a quiet place

In my embrace

A haven of safety where

I'll dry your tears

Shelter here

In my care

But even when we stumble

And someday when we fall

What I will remember

That I had you through it all

I don't know

Where we should go

Just feeling farther from our goal

I don't know

What path we will be shown

But I know that when I'm with you I'm at home

Yes, I know that when I'm with you I'm at home

Yes, I know that when I'm with you I'm at home

Once I finish the song, I hear Weiss quietly whimpering. "Weiss, are you alright?" I asked worryingly.

"I'm fine. It's just that this is a very beautiful song." Weiss said as she wipes up her tears.

"Yeah, Kasumi would sing this to me every night when I was younger. She always took care of me when our grandparents aren't around. To me, Kasumi's my home."

Weiss smiled as she laid her head against my shoulder, causing me to tense up a little. "Well, to me, you guys are my home."

I smiled as I laid my head against Weiss' and said, "Thanks, I'm glad you feel that way." We savored the moment for a bit until I asked Weiss, "Hey, Weiss. Do you believe in fate?"

"Why do you ask?" Weiss asked.

"It's just that...I always wondered if never having a complete family was my fate. First, my mom and dad died and Shuichi disappeared on us. Will this be my fate?"

Weiss sighed as she stood up and said, "No."

"No?" I asked as I stood up with her.

"Yes. No. I don't believe in fate. Fate doesn't define what you become, you do. If I had never decided to become a huntress, my father would have succeeded in dragging my family name through the mud. And most importantly, I wouldn't be able to meet you, Ruby, or everyone I know now."

I sighed in relief at what Weiss said. Her words finally reassured me. "Weiss, thank you."

"No need for thank yous, Kurokuu. I'm just hoping that one day, you'll have that complete family." I teared up a bit before giving Weiss a hug. I felt Weiss tense up for a bit before calming down and wrapping her arms around me as well. As we embraced each other, I thought about what she said. I think I already have that complete family.

* * *

(A/N:) Okay, one more chapter to go to finish up this Zeronos Arc. So I know you have a few questions when reading this story, so let me clear them out for you. Next chapter will mainly focus on Shuichi and the events leading up to him meeting present Shuichi (I'll just call him Nakamura for now on to not get them confused). So you'll see the return of Xavier and Shuichi's team back in 1997. So the semblance for Shuichi's is based off of the Recall ability that Tracer have in Overwatch. Most, if not all OC and Den-O characters, will have a time based semblance, just to get that out of the way. And the last scene with Kurokuu singing is based off of, well me. I do a lot of singing on my spare time and I'm also in a choir so I just kinda wanted to add a little bit of me in there. Also you might hear Kurokuu sing again. When? I don't know.

(A/N:From 8/12/2017) Hey, this is LGCrusader. I read back on this chapter and noticed that the ending to me wasn't satisfying and wasn't following what I initially planned it to be,so I rewrote the ending. I kinda blame myself for forgetting to write that in since I rushed it too quickly when writing it the first time. That is all, and have a nice day/evening!

So anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Leave a review on what you thought and I'll see you later. Bye!


	13. Chapter 13: What I'm Fighting For

(A/N:) Hey everyone! Welcome back to another chapter of Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time. This will be the final chapter of the Zeronos Arc before getting back into the RWBY continuity. This chapter will mainly focus on Shuichi and the events leading up to who he is now like I said before. So as always, leave a review on what you thought about this chapter and I hope you all enjoy!

I do not I own the rights to the series RWBY or Kamen Rider. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth Productions and The Kamen Rider Series is owned by Toei Company

"Normal Speech"

'Thoughts/Inner communication between OC and imagin'

 _"Third Person/Flashback"_

 **"Imagin speech"**

* * *

 _Shuichi's POV_

It was a normal, busy day at Beacon Academy. The students hanging around and laughing without a care in the world. They won't be laughing much longer until their time comes. Anyways, Deneb and I are making our way to old Oz's office for a nice 'chat.' While personally I enjoy a quiet walk, Deneb just loves to talk to people. " **Hello, I'm Deneb! And this is Shuichi! It is a pleasure to meet you! Also have some candy!"** Deneb said cheerfully to a student as he gives him two pieces of his candy.

I stole a piece candy from his basket and popped one in my mouth. "Oi, Deneb. You freaking everyone out with your antics." I warned while sucking on the candy.

" **Shuichi, it's fine. And second, I'm trying to help you."**

I sighed and said, "Deneb, I don't need you making friends for me. They're just gonna slow me down like I said before."

" **It couldn't hurt if you had some friends…"** Deneb said softly. He looks up and see a group of guys talking to each other. " **Look! Some friends you can make!"** Deneb walks up to them and said **, "Hello! My name is Deneb! And my friend with me is named Shuichi! It's a pleasure to meet you and here's some candy to show our appreciation!"**

Deneb handed them the candy, but they immediately scoffed at it and threw it to the ground. And something tells me that they're aren't the most nicest people. "We don't want your nasty candy." One of them said.

"What are you? A robot?" The one with blue hair asked.

Deneb looked uncomfortable as he tried saying **, "Actually...I...I."**

The guy with a mohawk hair snickered and said, "Let's see which button turns him off, what do you think Cardin?"

"Yeah, let's have fun with him." The tall guy, now dubbed Cardin, said menacingly.

The group of assholes closed in on Deneb until I grabbed the Cardin by his shoulder and said threateningly, "Leave. My partner. Alone."

Cardin and the rest of his team shifted their attention away from Deneb and onto me as Cardin said, "So you're Shuichi? Must be pathetic if you have a robot for a friend."

Cardin's teammates starting laughing at me, but I just quickly brushed them off. "Cardin, right? If you don't let go of my partner, you're gonna regret it." I threatened as I pumped my chest up to intimidate Cardin.

Cardin looked down at me and said, "Hmph. You think an empty threat is gonna scare me? Think again!" Without warning, Cardin tried to punch me, but I retraced away. Instead, his fist made contact with teammate's face. "What the-?!"

Cardin and his team looked around for me until they saw me standing behind Deneb. I snickered at them and said, "Nice try, but we don't have time to waste with you. Come on, Deneb. And no more of this friendship making stuff, got it?"

" **Hai, Shuichi…"** Deneb replied sullenly.

"Hey! Come back and fight me! What are you? Chicken?!" I hear Cardin shout.

I stopped in place as I process what he just said. Did he just call me a chicken?! Like hell that I'm gonna stand for this! I turned around and asked him, "What did you call me?"

I could see the idiot's mace behind him as he said, "Chicken. That's what you are!"

I smirked a bit as I decided to play along with his game. I walked up to him and said, "Nobody calls me chicken."

"Alright then, prove it!" Cardin shouted as he swung his mace, just as I expected. I used my semblance and retraced back to where Deneb was standing. Then I charge in and dropkick Cardin into his team. Cardin immediately stood back up and shouted at his team, "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! GET HIM!"

His teammates compiled as they all charged straight at me with their weapons out. One guys went in for a downwards strike, but I quickly move out of the way and punch the guy in the temple, rendering him completely unconscious. Then another guy charges in and thrusts his halberd at me, but I grab the weapon by the shaft and lunged it forward, causing the butt of the weapon to hit him in the gut. He lets go of the weapon, allowing me complete control over it. I swung the halberd around for a bit before swinging the weapon at his feet, causing him to trip. I kept his foot down on him as I threw the halberd like a spear at the other guy, pushing him back.

As I knock the last guy out, Cardin growls and picks up his mace. He twirls his mace around and asked, "You think you're tough, huh? Guess again!" I stare down at Cardin, not uttering a single word to him. Cardin releases a battle cry before charging straight at me. I smirked at his stupidity as I simply moved out of the way and stuck my foot out. Cardin wasn't prepared for that as he trips over my foot and landed face first on the ground.

I laughed at Cardin and asked, "Still think I'm a chicken?"

"Mr. Nakamura!" I cringed slightly as I realized who the voice belonged to. I turned around and saw Professor Goodwitch standing with a crowd of students behind her.

"Hey, Glynda. Looks like you're still around."

"Mr. Nakamura. Would you like to explain your behavior?!" Professor Goodwitch asked sternly.

I grabbed Deneb and explained the whole story, "These kiddies tried to hurt my partner so I tried to get Deneb away from them and walk away. But they decided to attack me, so I defended myself."

Professor Goodwitch sighs stressfully as she readjusts her glasses and said, "Mr. Nakamura, when you are on Beacon territory, you are not allowed to harm any of the students attending here except when training. You remember that, right?!"

I was about to talk back until I decided to keep my mouth shut. There's no way in hell that I'm gonna have to deal with her and her riding crop. "Yes, ma'am." I said.

"So the next time I see you fighting outside of training, it won't just be me you'll be dealing with. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good. Now get going, Ozpin will be there to see you." Professor Goodwitch said as she lifts Cardin and the team off the ground.

As Deneb and I walked away, I could hear the students murmuring about me. "Woah, he's strong!"

"Yeah, is he a fourth year?!"

"Yeah, maybe. I mean, he took out Team CRDL without breaking a sweat!"

I sighed and said to Deneb, "You owe me big time."

" **I'm sorry, Shuichi. I didn't mean to get you in trouble."** Deneb apologized as he looked away from me.

I sighed once more and said, "It's fine. But after this, I want you to bake me some cookies."

" **Okay! Now, to Beacon Tower!"** Deneb said excitedly.

"Yeah...Beacon tower…" I muttered as we walk towards entrance of the tower.

* * *

 **Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time**

 **Chapter 13: What I'm Fighting For**

* * *

Deneb and I waited quietly in the elevator as it slowly made its way up to the top. As the elevator kept going higher, I thought about everything that happened recently. Kurokuu being the Den-O, my 'future' fiance not remembering a damn thing about me, and mostly importantly, seeing Summer's daughter for the first time in my life. Man, she looks so much like her. Then I felt some pain in my chest as I remembered the news future me gave about her. Ozpin, why did he send Summer to her death? Then the sound of the elevator door opening brought me back to reality as I see Ozpin standing in the middle of the room.

He walked up to me with his hand out and said, "Shuichi, it's good to see you again."

"Likewise, Ozpin. It's been awhile since we saw each other. Sorry for the heads up situation yesterday." I replied as I shook his hand.

"It's no problem at all. I'm just glad that one of my students is alive. Please have a seat." Ozpin said as he directed me and Deneb to our seats. Ozpin sat down and pulled out a plate of cookies and two glasses of milk. "Snacks? I vaguely remember that you would take and eat all of the cookies in the cafeteria back then."

I laughed and said, "Yeah. You can blame Summer for that sweet tooth now." I stopped for a moment as I realized what I just said. I quickly brush that aside and said, "Anyways, I want to say thank for giving me the robotic legs for Xavier."

"Please, no thank yous are required. I just happen to have Atlas' latest technology given to me so if you hadn't told me, I would've forgotten."

"So, are we gonna start negotiating about the deal?"

"In a moment, but first, I just want to…catch up."

I took a bite from my cookie and took a sip of milk. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean, I want to know what happened to you after Kuroyuri, how you have the belt that allows you to transform like Kurokuu, and where have you been."

I took another sip of milk before setting my glass down along with my unfinished cookie. I cleared my throat and said, "Okay, I'll tell you what happened. But make sure this information you're about to hear doesn't get out anywhere or anyone."

"Yes, I understand."

"Okay." I picked up my glass of milk again and said, "Well, best make yourself comfortable because this is gonna be a long story."

* * *

 _December 12, 1997_

 _It was a beautiful, snowy night at Beacon Academy. The snow fluttered down, the air is cold, and the stars and moon are shining brightly. And while all of the students were sleeping in for the night, all but one was still awake. Shuichi is sitting on top of the dorm building with telescope in hand as he observes Remnant's moon. Shuichi was wearing his usual attire except with a green muffler, black mittens, and green earmuffs to keep himself warm. Shuichi looks away from the telescope and drew what he observed on his notebook. "Fanastating. It seems like I was right!" Shuichi said excitedky as he looked over his drawings of the moon. As he flips through the pages, the pieces of the moon seems to be drifting further and further apart._

 _Shuichi was so perplexed by his data that he didn't noticed the figure behind him. The figure set something down as she walks slowly behind him. Then she raises her arms in the air and shouts at the top of her lungs, "WHAT'CHA DOIN'!"_

 _Shuichi jumped as he turned around and saw Summer standing behind him. Instead of her usual attire, she is wearing black sweater that covers her tank top and pajama pants with pictures of roses on it. "Summer! Don't scare me like that. Oum, you almost gave me a heart attack!"_

 _Summer picked up the plate of cookies and a mug filled with hot chocolate off the ground as she said, "Shuichi, I'm so sorry! I just had to scare you, it was the perfect opportunity!" Shuichi still looked upset as she said, "Look, I'm really, really sorry for what I did. Will a plate of cookies and hot chocolate make you feel better?"_

 _Shuichi looked at the plate of cookies and asked, "Did you make them?"_

" _Yep, fresh out of the oven."_

" _Then yes, I forgive you." Shuichi said before snatching two cookies of the plate. Summer laughed as he gobbled down on the cookies. "Hey, stop laughing! It's your fault that I have a sweet tooth. And I'm totally okay with it!"_

 _Summer calmed down and said, "Shuichi don't eat them so quickly, you might get an-" As expected, Shuichi starting choking on the cookies. She hands him the hot chocolate and said, "Here." Shuichi grabbed the mug and chugged down on the contents, but he immediately spat it out as the hot chocolate singed his tongue. Summer then patted Shuichi's back, trying to make him feel better. Shuichi hit his chest repeatedly until the cookies finally went down. "See, I told you. Next time, eat slower."_

 _Shuichi slowly took a sip and said, "Yeah, I'll remember that from now on."_

 _Summer picked up his notebook and said, "So how's your research going on?"_

" _Well, judging from the picture I drew today and last month, the pieces of the moon slightly drifted zero point five centimeters on scale. And when flipping through the pages, the pieces of the moon has drifted away two inches for the past four years that we have been here."_

" _Wow, I didn't notice that." Summer remarked as she flipped through the pages of drawing herself._

" _Yeah, we're so focused on being huntsmen and huntresses, and we don't really take the time to notice the small things in life."_

" _Yeah, I could see that. Speaking of huntsmen, aren't you and Team NXUS gonna go do a search and destroy mission?"_

" _Yeah, Nereus mentioned that we're gonna go to a small town in Anima to clear out some Grimm. I think he said it was called Kuroyuri or something like that."_

" _That's cool! Me and Team STRQ are going to a small town in Vacuo to help build their defenses." Summer informed as she sat next to Shuichi. "Can't you believe it? After this, we're just one week away to graduating."_

" _Yeah, it's pretty life changing." Shuichi said. "Hey Summer, have you ever thought about the difference we can make as huntsmen and huntresses?"_

" _Yeah, we'll be out there saving lives and stopping the Grimms. That's a pretty big difference if I say so myself."_

" _I guess, but what'll that do on a large scale?" Summer looked confused at what Shuichi said. "What I'm trying to say is how much of a difference will we make? I mean, even though we fight Grimms and save lives, it doesn't matter how many huntsmen and huntresses are out there fighting, more Grimms will always come."_

 _Summer was surprised as Shuichi's thoughts as she asked, "Shuichi, where is this coming from?"_

" _I don't know. It's just...the more I thought about it, I want to help and save Remnant at a larger scale. But what could one huntsman accomplish that thousands couldn't?"_

 _Summer thought about Shuichi's complex question until she asked, "Well, aren't you already making a huge difference in people's lives?"_

" _Huh?"_

" _I mean, I understand that we can't save all of Remnant from Grimms. But, you're making a huge difference in people's lives by letting them live happily and carefree from them. And not just that, we're giving the people a reason to keep on living."_

" _And what's that?"_

" _Hope. We give these people hope to keep moving forward through the tough times. And I have to say, that is a pretty huge difference if I have to say so myself."_

 _Shuichi looked surprised at Summer's words of wisdom as he took the answer into consideration. He smiles and said, "Hope. I see what you mean now. Thanks, for help putting me into perspective."_

" _You're absolutely welcome." Summer said cheerfully._

 _Shuichi looked at Summer shivering. "Hey, Summer. If you're cold, you could go back inside." He suggested._

" _I'm...fine…" Summer said as she tries to warm herself up._

 _Shuichi sighed and took off his muffler, earmuffs, and mittens. "Here, this should keep you warm."_

" _No, you don't have to."_

" _It's fine, I insist." Shuichi said as he wraps his muffler around Summer and puts on the earmuffs and mittens for her._

 _Summer smiles and said, "Thank you." Shuichi and Summer stared at each other in silence. Their hearts beat faster as they begin slowing inching towards each other._

 _They tilted their heads in the opposite directions as their lips gets closer and closer. Their nose were touching and their lips were about to make contact until, "Hic-!" Summer and Shuichi backed away as she realized that Shuichi has the hiccups. "Summer, I'm really sorry about this. Hic-!"_

 _Summer sighed before smiling and said, "Come on, let's go back inside." Shuichi agreed as he picked up their belongings and walked with Summer back inside. Once they arrive at their respective dorms, Summer said, "Make sure to drink water slowly to get rid of your hiccups, okay?"_

" _Yeah, thanks Summer. Good night." Shuichi said as he pulls out his scroll. But before Shuichi can open the door, Summer tugged on his arm. He turns around and asks, "Oh, what is-"_

 _He was interrupted mid-sentence by a kiss on the lips by Summer. Shuichi was caught off guard for a moment until he gave in and savor the kiss. Shuichi instinctively wrapped his arm around Summer while she did the same but with his neck. The kiss felt like hours for them until they both decided to pull away. Summer took off Shuichi's muffler, mittens, and earmuffs and gave it back to him. "Well, good night." She said as she entered her dorm._

 _Shuichi stood quietly as he places his hands on his lips, still feeling the heat from Summer. He breathed heavily as he swipes the scroll over his door and opens it. Shuichi enters the dorm to see his teammates already asleep. He quickly took his shoes off and grabbed his sleeping attire. Shuichi quickly changed and did his nightly routine before going to bed. As he laid in bed, all Shuichi could think about was the kiss. "Wow…" Shuichi said before drifting off to sleep._

* * *

 _December 13, 1997 8:32 P.M._

 _Shuichi slowly awoke from his slumber and yawned loudly. He rubs his eyes and saw that his team was already up. "Took you long enough." Shuichi looked up to see Nereus, wearing his battle attire. Nereus has a pale complexion with ginger hair, green eyes, and a large beard. He dons a bronze shoulder armor, a long sleeved red shirt with a fish scale pattern, bronze gauntlets that cover his forearms, cargo pants, and black combat boots. "Wake up, Shuichi. We need to get breakfast quick before we do our last mission of the year."_

" _Yeah, don't want to mess it up now, do we?" Shuichi looked to his left and saw his other teammate, Ulysseus. He has a tan complexion with blue eyes and spike up brown hair. He dons a navy blue tunic, metal chestplate, leather bracers, a leather strap around his waist that holds the sheath of his sword, leather sandals, and a navy blue cloak that is held by a plate with a picture of a ship._

" _Yeah, yeah, I get it. I'm getting up." Shuichi said while getting back up. He looks around and notices one person missing. "Hey guys, where's Xavier?"_

" _Oh, he's already at breakfast with Team STRQ. He couldn't wait for you to get up anymore." Ulysseus replied._

" _I see. You guys get to lunch first, I'll get changed and catch up with you."_

" _Alright, don't be late. Time is of the essence." Nereus said as he and Ulysseus walked out the dorm._

 _Shuichi took a deep breath as he stretches his body. He cracked his neck before starting his morning routine. He quickly brushed his teeth and changed into his clothes. Shuichi the grabs his shoes and exits his dorm. He quickly puts on his shoes and runs towards the cafeteria as fast as he could. Once Shuichi arrived, he opens the door to the cafeteria, filled with students trying to get breakfast. Shuichi sighed as he walks towards the line and grabs his meal for the day._

 _He looks around for his teammates until someone shouted, "Hey, Shuichi! Over here!" Shuichi looked over and saw Summer waving her arms, trying to get his attention. Shuichi walked over and saw his team eating breakfast with Team STRQ._

 _Sitting on the left of Summer is Qrow Branwen, without a beard. And on Qrow's right is his twin sister, Raven Branwen. She has a pale complexion with red eyes and raven hair like her brother. She dons a shallow cut black dress, five necklaces with an assortment of beads, a red girdle-belt, and a pair of matching gauntlets with fingerless gloves. She also wears detached black leggings with a red splatter pattern, some feathers hangs from the right side of her skirt, and black leather boots beneath them._

 _Sitting on the left of Raven is Taiyang Xiao Long. He has a tanned complexion with blonde hair and blue eyes. He dons a tan dress shirt with the right sleeve cut off, a brown leather vest, an orange bandana that is tied around his left arm, a dark brown belt, and black shoes. On his right arm, he wears a metal spaulder, leather vambrace, and a brown fingerless glove._

 _And lastly, he sees his partner, Xavier. He is wearing a black tank top, camo cargo pants, black fingerless gloves, and black combat boots._

 _Shuichi sits down next to Xavier and said, "Hey, everyone."_

" _Sup." Taiyang said with a small finger salute._

" _Hey." Qrow said as he took a sip of his orange juice._

" _Good morning." Raven said nonchalantly._

" _How did you sleep?" Summer asked._

" _I slept well. Thanks for asking." Shuichi said. Summer gave a small flirtatious smile, who Shuichi gave back in return._

 _Xavier saw the interaction between them and grinned sinisterly. As Shuichi took a sip of milk, Xavier slapped him in the back as hard as he could, causing him to spit out his milk on Qrow. "So, Champ. Where were you last night?" Xavier asked with a grin on his face._

" _Yes, we didn't see you last night." Nereus said._

" _And speaking of which, where were you last night?" Raven asked Summer._

 _Summer didn't know what to say as the only things that came out of her mouth was, "Uh...I…"_

" _I was doing my monthly research and Summer tagged along with me, that's all." Shuichi answered._

 _Xavier kept on pushing as he asked, "That's all? Are you sure there wasn't anything else that happened?"_

" _Xavier, what're you getting at?"_

 _Qrow wipes the milk off his face and said, "He's asking if you and Summer finally went downtown."_

 _Everyone looked shocked, including Raven, as Shuichi shouted, "Wait, what?! No, that didn't happen!"_

 _Nereus tried to calm down the situation by saying, "Guys, I think you're all jumping to conclusions too quickly. But then again, I don't blame you."_

" _What do you mean?!"_

" _He means that everyone know you and Summer like each other." Taiyang said. "I mean, we all kinda knew it, even before you guys realized it."_

 _Shuichi looked completely speechless as he face planted on the table. "No, nothing like that happened between us, Qrow." Summer answered while glaring at Qrow._

" _Then what did happen between you and Summer?" Ulysseus asked, adding more fuel to the fire._

" _It was nothing. Just a kiss is all." Summer answered._

 _Everyone finally calmed down except Qrow, who looked more disappointed than anything. "Gee, that's it? Shuichi, I don't see the reason why you need to get worked up over a kiss."_

" _Shut up, Qrow!" Shuichi shouted._

 _Qrow was about to say something until Raven stomped in his feet. "Well, it's good to see you guys finally get together." Taiyang said._

" _About damn time." Ulysseus said while patting Shuichi's back._

" _Congratulations to the both of you." Nereus said._

 _Xavier patted Shuichi's back and said jokingly, "Hope you guys live a happily ever after."_

" _Thanks...really appreciate it." Shuichi said sarcastically._

 _They continued on with their breakfast until the speakers turned on. "Attention, Team STRQ and Team NXUS, please report to the main avenue in fifteen minutes. Repeat, Team STRQ and Team NXUS, please report to the main avenue in fifteen minutes." Professor Goodwitch announced._

" _Well, looks like that's our cue. Shall we?" Nereus asked. They all simultaneously nodded as they got up and walked towards the locker rooms._

 _Once they arrived, Team NXUS and STRQ split up to find their lockers and retrieve their weapons. Shuichi punched in his code and opened his locker. Inside, there was a quiver for his arrows, black fingerless gloves, and his crossbow hybrid. He quickly puts on his gloves and straps the quiver across his chest. Shuichi grabs his crossbow before locking up._

 _Shuichi exits the locker room and sees Team STRQ and the rest of Team NXUS. Nereus is seen holding a spear with a twelve inch blade that he calls Xebel. Ulysseus wields a sword, who he named Telemachus, and shield, who he named Penelope. And lastly, Xavier dons two gauntlets which are equipped with two retractable serrated claws and a fully automatic rifle, which he calls The Onslaught. The gauntlets are covered by his yellow leather jacket with blue linings that run from the shoulder to his forearms. On the back , it has a picture of an X inside of a circle._

" _Took you long enough. Is everyone ready?" Nereus asked. They all nodded before making their way towards the main avenue. Once there, they were greeted by two bullheads and Professor Ozpin._

 _Professor Ozpin took a sip of his coffee and said, "Welcome, Team STRQ and NXUS, to your last mission of the year. Here, I'll be going over your missions." He looked towards Team NXUS and said, "Team NXUS, your assignment today is a search and destroy mission. Your team will eliminate the Grimm activity in small town in Mistral called Kuroyuri. You'll be aided by a local huntsman in order to swiftly finish the job. Is that clear?"_

" _Yes, sir. We won't let you down." Nereus said._

" _Good." Professor Ozpin then faced Team STRQ and said, "And Team STRQ, your assignment today is a support mission. A small town in Vacuo has been faced with a Grimm attack. Your team will come in and help them get back on their feet. Is that clear?"_

" _Yes, sir." Summer said._

" _Good, I expect all of you to finish your job quickly without making a single mistake. Best of luck to you all." Professor Ozpin said before walking off._

" _Alright, we should get going. Good luck, guys!" Nereus said as he and the rest of his team entered their bullhead._

 _Before Shuichi could get in however, Summer grabbed his arm and gave him a quick kiss. "Shuichi, stay safe, okay?" She whispered._

" _Summer, I'll be fine. And before you know it, I'll be back." Shuichi reassured._

" _Okay, good luck." Summer said as she entered her bullhead._

 _As Shuichi entered his bullhead, Xavier chuckled and said, "She gave you a good luck kiss? How cute."_

" _Shut it, Xavier." Shuichi grumbled._

" _Relax man, I'm sincerely happy for you. We all been waiting for you guys to finally get together."_

 _Shuichi sighs and said, "Thanks, Xavier. It's really nice to hear you say that."_

 _Xavier laughed and poked Shuichi on his forehead. "Well, don't get too comfortable. This is the only time you'll hear me say something genuinely nice."_

" _Then I'll savor this moment for the rest of my life." Shuichi said in a joking manner. Then the bullhead began to rumble as it took off. Shuichi looked through the window and see all of Beacon at its glory. Shuichi sat back down and took a deep breath before slowly falling into slumber._

* * *

" _Hey, Shuichi. Wake up, we're here!" Shuichi slowly opened his eyes and saw Xavier trying to shake him awake. "Let's go, we're at Kuroyuri."_

" _Alright, I'm up." Shuichi said as he wiped the drool off his face. Shuichi stepped off the bullhead and stared at the entrance of Kuroyuri. The entrance looked grand, complete with two tall pillars connected with each other and a large stone slab with the word, Kuroyuri, on the front. Team NXUS all entered inside and saw the countless buildings, albeit some were still being constructed. "Woah, this place is pretty huge for a village."_

" _It is. This place was recently established if I remembered. With only about two hundred civilians occupying this area." Nereus commented._

 _Team NXUS kept on walking until they stopped in front of a cherry blossom tree, where they saw many men, women, and children sitting around it. "So...does anyone know who the huntsman that we're supposed to be working with?" Ulysseus asked._

" _That would be me." Team NXUS turned around and saw two individuals. One is a male with a tanned complexion, black hair that is pulled back into a ponytail, a mustache, and a goatee. He wore a sleeveless green tailcoat over a long sleeved white shirt, black pants tucked into open-toe sandals, a black sash with a single pouch, a quiver, and an archer's glove on his left hand. The other one is a women with a pale complexion, dusky rose hair held in a bun by a gray band, and pink eyes. She wore a long green dress with long sleeves and cutouts on the shoulders, black ballet flats and a pink sash._

 _The man walked up to us and said, "It's an honor to have you here. My name is Li Ren and this is my wife, An Ren. Our town has been waiting for your assistance."_

" _I heard you've been having some Grimm attacks lately." Nereus noted._

" _Yes, follow us and we'll explain." Li said. Team NXUS began following Li and An as they explain their situation. "As you know by now, our town has been recently established outside the kingdom. So we're still currently in the construction phase of our plans. But, the process has slowed to a stop recently due to the Grimms interfering. And if this keeps up, we could lose everything and everyone."_

" _Wait, don't you have other local huntsmen and huntresses that could help lower Grimm activity in the area?" Xavier asked._

" _Yes, we have a few. But the problem is that we don't have enough in order to defend the village. The Mistral council only gave us enough funds just to establish the village and nothing else. We're on our own with from there." An replied._

" _So who do you have at the moment?" Shuichi asked._

" _At this moment, we have seven local huntsmen and huntresses, including me. I had Mr. and Mrs. Valkyrie out on a Grimm hunt while the others are finishing the construction." Li answered._

" _Two people only? Are you sure that is a wise move?" Ulysseus asked._

" _They can manage just fine on their own." They all stopped in front of the house as Li and An opened the door. "Please, come inside." Team NXUS complied and followed Li and An inside. The interior is painted white with wooden walls covering most of the house and some pictures hanging around. The room is set with a large wooden table, a few chairs, a bookshelf, and a large furnace in the corner._

 _An walked towards the hallway and asked, "I'll make everyone something to drink. What would you like?"_

" _Tea, please." Nereus said._

" _I'll have the same." Shuichi said._

" _I'll just take water." Ulysseus said._

" _I'm fine." Xavier said._

 _An nodded before walking down the hall and into the kitchen. Team NXUS all sat down on the table as Li opened up the map of Anima. The map had a few things draw on it like locations of other towns and such. "So, from what the data we collected, there are large numbers of Grimm at the southeast side of the forest." Lie said as he pointed in that direction._

" _Has anyone monitored their movements?" Ulysseus asked._

" _Yes, we've been taking turns monitoring the pack. At first, they were located northeast from here. But over time, they moved closer and closer to us."_

" _At an estimate, how big is the pack?" Nereus asked._

" _At the very least, a hundred. There could possibly be more now."_

 _Then An comes back in, drinks in hand, and passes out the drinks to everyone. Shuichi took a sip and said, "This is bad. I don't think the five of us can handle that amount of Grimms."_

" _You're right. Maybe we could try splitting the pack apart?" Ulysseus suggested._

 _Li thinks about the plan and said, "That doesn't sound like a bad idea. If we could split the pack apart, we would have an easier time dispatching the Grimms."_

" _So we have a plan? We split the pack apart and we dispatch them as quickly as possible?" Nereus asked. No one seemed to object as he asked, "Li, how long until the Valkyrie's come back?"_

" _Right now, it's three. They should be back by four." Li answered._

" _Alright, I guess for now we'll have to wait."_

" _Yeah, now when I think about it, I'm kinda hungry." Xavier said._

" _Did someone say they're hungry? I can start making lunch right now!" An shouted from the kitchen._

" _Yes, that sounds great honey." Li shouted._

 _Nereus got up and asked, "Do you need any help? I know how to cook!"_

" _No, it's fine! Please, make yourselves at home!" An replied. But in the end, Nereus still decided to get up and help An in the kitchen._

 _Meanwhile in the living room, everyone was doing something to keep them busy. Xavier is sharpening the claws in his gauntlet, Ulysseus was staring at the map, and Shuichi is scrolling through the pictures on his scroll._

 _As Shuichi scrolls through the pictures, he comes across a picture of him and Summer at the Vytal festival in Mistral. Shuichi has a smile on his face as he remembers the fun times they had. "Guys, lunch is ready!" Nereus shouted. Shuichi quickly turned off his scroll as he sits down with everyone for a relaxing lunch. But little does Shuichi know, his world will soon change._

* * *

 _Team NXUS and Li were standing outside at the entrance of the village as they await for Mr. and Mrs. Valkyrie's return. Nereus checked the time on his scroll as it displayed 4:26. "It's been twenty minutes, don't you think we should all go out on a search for them?" Nereus asked._

" _Wait, look." Li said as he pointed at the forest. They all stared until two shadowy figures came out of the woods. One is a man with a pale complexion, long ginger hair that reached down to his shoulders, green eyes, and a bushy beard. He is seen wearing a large metal chestplate with an orange shirt underneath. He also wears large brown pants, steel toed boots, a winged helmet, and a fur cape. He wields a large double-bladed axe, which is laced with lightning dust. The other one is a woman with a pale complexion, long blonde hair that is tied in a braid, and turquoise eyes. She dons a long coat that has a hood and fur hide on the left shoulder. She also wears a right shoulder armor, cargo pants that has many pockets, and black combat boots. She wields two hidden blades with a built in crossbow._

 _The two individuals walked up to them as Li shook both of their hands and said, "Thor, Lyn, are you both alright?"_

" _We're fine. Just had to wrestle a few ursai while we're out there." The man, now named Thor, said. He looked at Team NXUS and asked, "Are these the huntsmen we asked for?"_

" _Yes, while you both were gone, we man-"_

" _Oh my Oum, you kiddies are so cute!" Lyn exclaimed as she puts Ulysseus and Shuichi in a chokehold. "Oh, I wish I had a child like you two! Honey! We should have a kid soon!"_

 _Thor pulled Lyn away and said, "Honey, right now it's not a good time. Once we get the village settled in, maybe we can have a child then."_

 _Lyn pouted at her husband's decision before smiling brightly again. She removed her hood and said, "Sounds good to me! I'm gonna go eat something at home, bye!"_

 _Lyn dashed off at astounding speed as Thor shouted, "Wait, honey! I have the keys!" He sighed loudly before turning around and said, "Well, I need to check on my wife before she eats the whole kitchen. Best of luck to all of you." And with that, he immediately runs after Lyn as fast as he could._

 _Team NXUS and Li stared at them as they slowly disappear from their sights. "Well, they sure are...interesting." Xavier commented._

" _Yes, indeed they are. Anyways, we should get going. I'll lead the way since I know the path." Li said as he walked in front of everyone. Team NXUS then followed Li into the Grimm infested forest, where danger lurks ever corner. Team NXUS and Li followed a trail while remaining vigilant. Then Li signals the team to stray off from the path and into Grimm Territory. As they got closer and closer, the sounds of howling and growling grew louder._

 _The smell of death and rotting corpses filled the air as Team NXUS and Li found the pack. Shuichi's eyes widen as he saw the sheer number of them. "Uh, guys. We said that we would split the pack apart, but doesn't anyone actually know how to do that?" Shuichi asked._

 _Xavier looked around until he found a lone wolf wandering in the forest. "I have a plan. I need you guys to cover me while I'm gone." Xavier said before he sits with his legs crossed and eyes closed. Then a yellow aura surrounds him as Xavier opens his eyes. His dark brown eyes completely disappeared, replaced with glowing white eyes. Team N(X)US and Li stared at the wolf as it stood completely still. The wolf opens its eyes, which is also replaced with bright white eyes. The wolf looked around before facing the pack. The wolf barked loudly, catching the attention of the Grimm. Half of the beowolves stared at the wolf hungrily as they moved in on it. The wolf then turned the other direction and started running, leading half of the Grimm away from the pack._

 _But, the remaining half of the pack sniffed the air before facing towards Team N(X)US and Li. Li looked slowly reach for an arrow from his quiver as he asked, "What is your teammate doing?"_

" _He's using his semblance right now." Ulysseus answered._

" _And what kind of semblance does he have?"_

" _It's possession. He can possess any living thing that has an aura. Right now, he's leading half of the Grimm away so it's our job to make sure he's protected." Nereus said as he pulled out his spear._

 _The beowolves growled loudly as they slowly make their way towards them. Ulysseus got his shield and sword out while Shuichi loaded his crossbow. Shuichi aims his crossbow at the head of an ursa and said, "Let's do this." With a pull of the trigger, the crossbow fired the arrow. The arrow flies through the air until it made contact with the ursa's eye. As the ursa's body flopped on the ground, the rest of the pack begin charging straight at them. Ulysseus and Nereus took the front lines while Shuichi and Li stayed back._

 _Nereus stabbed the first beowolf in the stomach and pinned it to the ground before kicking another one away. He looks back up at the beowolf he kicked and threw his spear at its head. Nereus rushes towards the dead beowolf and yanked his spear out of its head before decapitating the one behind him._

 _Suddenly, a group of beowolves surround him, closing off every possible exit. The beowolves growled hungrily as they were ready to claim their first meal. Nereus smirked as he twists open his spear. The spear opens, revealing small compartment that is meant to hold something. Then he pulls out an ice dust crystal from his pockets and sets the crystal inside. He closes the spear back up, causing the blade to glow bright white. The beowolves started to back away as Nereus raised his spear in the air and stabbed it in the ground, creating ice beneath his feet. The beowolves tried to flee, but the ice froze them in place, allowing Nereus to do the finishing blow. In one swift motion, Nereus decapitated all of the frozen beowolves' heads off._

 _Meanwhile, Ulysseus is slaughtering beowolves left and right. One beowolf tried to pounce him, but Ulysseus blocked the beowolf's attack with his shield and thrusts his sword into its skull. As Ulysseus pries the beowolf's body off his sword, a group of three starting running towards him. Ulysseus looked at his surroundings before throwing his shield at a tree. The shield ricochet off the tree and into the group of beowolves._

 _While the beowolves are down, Ulysseus charges in and stabs all three of them, making sure that none of them get back up. But as Ulysseus picks up his shield, a beowolf pounced him from behind. Ulysseus held the beowolf by the neck, preventing it from biting his face off. As the beowolf tried to kill his prey, Ulysseus slowly reached for his sword. Once Ulysseus grabbed his sword, he rammed the sword into the beowolf's neck, causing blood to spray all over Ulysseus' face. The beowolf stopped moving, allowing Ulysseus pushed the body off of him. As he wiped the blood off his face, he heard movement from behind and threw his sword at it. He turns around and sees an ursa with his sword stuck in his head._

 _Lastly, Shuichi and Li are firing arrow after arrow at the beowolves until one of them pounced on Li. Shuichi quickly comes to the rescue as he switches crossbow into its sword form. He aimed at the beowolf's neck and performed a clean decapitation. Shuichi quickly helps Li up before focusing his attention back on the Grimms._

 _Shuichi charges in on the pack and begins slaughtering each and every one of them. Shuichi stabs one beowolf in the stomach before slicing another one in half. Then a beowolf pounced on him from behind, but Shuichi was able to throw the beowolf off of him. Shuichi retraces back to his original position as he switches sword back into its crossbow form. Shuichi grabs an explosive arrow from his quiver and loads it on the crossbow. He aims at the remaining beowolves and fires, incinerating all of them at once._

 _Shuichi breathed heavily as he falls on his back, completely tired. Li, Nereus, and Ulysseus gathered around Shuichi as they help him back on his feet. "Man, I'm tired." Shuichi said._

" _Well, you gotta suck it up because we still need to finish off the other half." Ulysseus said as he smacks Shuichi in the back._

 _They all surround Xavier as he is still in possession of the wolf. "How long does the possession last?" Li asked._

" _Not too long. His semblance drains a lot of his aura so if he uses it for too long, he could collapse." Nereus informed._

 _Then, Xavier stopped glowing as his eyes returned back to normal. "What happened?" Shuichi asked._

 _Xavier rubs his temples and said, "The wolf...didn't make it. Right now, the Grimms are feasting on him so I suggest we get there quickly and take the pack out while they're distracted."_

" _Sounds good. Let's get ready to move out." Nereus said. "Lead the way, Xavier." Xavier nodded as he began leading them to the direction of the pack. But before the could proceed, a man is blocking their path. He has a tanned complexion with dark brown eyes and spiked up black hair. He's wearing a gray, long sleeved shirt, a black scarf, red pants, and black dress shoes. In his hands, he's holding what seems to be a book with calendars on it._

 _Shuichi walked up to him and asked, "Excuse me, are you lost? There's a nearby village that you could stay at."_

 _The man didn't say a word as his face looked emotionless. Suddenly, he looked up at Shuichi and started to laughed creepily. Team NXUS and Li slowly backed away from the man as he said, "Shuichi...Nakamura…"_

 _Shuichi felt his heart skip a beat as he froze in fear. Xavier stood in front of Shuichi and release his claws from his gauntlet. "How the hell do you know about Shuichi?!" Xavier shouted as he pointed the claws at his chest._

 _Then the man smiled as he was reduced to sand. Team NXUS looked confused as Li walked over to it and touched the sand himself. Then Shuichi noticed the sand moving around as he shouts, "Li, get out of the way!"_

 _Li quickly backed away as the sand slowly formed into an imagin with a mole motif. Team NXUS and Li were in shock as the mole pointed at Shuichi_ _ **, "Hello again. It's time for you to die!"**_

 _Then the mole imagin attempt to attack Shuichi, but Li intervened and blocked the attack with his bow. Nereus snapped out of it as he said, "Guys, snap out of it! Whatever it is, we need to take it out now!"_

 _Shuichi, Xavier, and Ulysseus agreed as they got out their weapons and charged at the imagin. The mole imagin kicked Li back before blocking Xavier's and Ulysseus' attack. But, the mole imagin was caught off guard as Nereus and Shuichi attacked him from behind._

 _The mole imagin fell in the ground as he said sarcastically_ _ **, "Oh! Oh the pain! I can't stand it anymore!"**_ _But he quickly gets back up._ " _ **Just kidding."**_ _Then he fired lasers at Nereus and Shuichi, knocking them back._

 _Nereus and Shuichi got back up as Ulysseus, Xavier, and Li regrouped. "What on Remnant is that?!" Xavier shouted._

" _I don't know…" Shuichi mutters as he held his side in pain. "Whatever it is, we can still harm it. Let's give it everything we got!" Everyone agreed as they readied up. Shuichi, Xavier, and Li opened fire while Nereus and Ulysseus charges in._

 _The mole imagin was pushed back by the gunfire until Nereus and Ulysseus charged in and stabbed the imagin in the stomach. He stumbles back and said_ _ **, "Looks like I need some assistance. Brothers!"**_ _Then out of the blue, two mole imagins appeared as they stood next to each other._ " _ **Let's finish this quickly, shall we?!"**_ _Swiftly, the two mole imagins pounced Nereus, Xavier, and Ulysseus as the main mole imagin attacked Shuichi._

 _Shuichi blocked the attack but the mole imagin fired his laser, point blank at his stomach. "AAAAARGH!" Shuichi shouted as his aura has been completely depleted._

" _SHUICHI!" Xavier shouted as he tries to save his partner, but the mole imagin clones slashed Xavier across the chest knocking his aura down._

 _Shuichi tried getting back up, but the mole imagin kept his foot on his head. He points his weapon at Shuichi and asked_ _ **, "Any last words?"**_ _Shuichi struggled to get back up as the mole imagin was ready to strike. Then an arrow pierced through his neck as the arrow slowly started beeping._ " _ **What's going on?! No! Noooo!"**_ _Those were his last words as his head got blown up._

 _Shuichi looked over and saw Li with his bow out. "Thanks…" Shuichi got out. Li was about so say something until the two mole imagin clones slashed him in the back. "NOOOOOO!" Li fell on his knees and collapsed as Nereus, Ulysseus, and Xavier fought off the imagins._

 _Shuichi started breathing heavily as he slowly made his way towards the imagins. Then Shuichi slashes both of the imagin in the back, redirecting their attention on him. Shuichi retraced back to his original position as he shouts, "Hey! You said you want to kill me?! You have to catch me first!" And with that, Shuichi started running into the forest._

 _The mole imagin clones decided to chase after him as well as they spun around, creating a hole from them to travel through. Xavier started panicking as he ran after Shuichi. "SHUICHI, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! GET BACK HERE!" Xavier shouted._

" _They're after me, not you… I'm gonna...keep them busy…"_

" _BUT YOU'RE GONNA GET KILLED!"_

" _Please, just listen! I'm not letting any of you guys or the village get killed because of me." Shuichi stopped running and said, "I'm just doing my part as a huntsman. Protect the people...with your life… So they can live peacefully and not in fear. Please, help Li get back to the village."_

 _Xavier started tearing up a bit before giving Shuichi a big hug. "Please, don't die. You promised her that you would be safe." Xavier said._

 _Shuichi pulled out his sword and said, "Sometimes, you can't always keep promises...Tell Summer that I love her, could you do that for me?" All Xavier could do is nod. "Good." Then the ground started rumbling, Shuichi started panicking and said, "Xavier, you need to get out of here now. Go!"_

 _Xavier nodded before running away, leaving Shuichi on his own. Shuichi starting running as fast as he could away from the village, ensuring that the imagins don't come near. As he was running, he tripped over a log and tumbled down on a slope. He kept falling down until he landed in some sort of field._

 _Shuichi uses his sword as a cane and pushed himself back up. Shuichi stumbles around until he felt vibration under his feet. He quickly dodges out of the way as the mole imagin clones appear. Shuichi raised his sword as he await for their first attack. The first clone attacked Shuichi with his axe hand, but Shuichi blocked the attack and kicked him back. Then the second imagin fired his weapon at Shuichi, who managed to retrace back to his earlier position and slash the imagin across the chest._

 _But things went downhill as the first clone slash Shuichi in the back, causing blood seep to the surface. He collapsed on the ground as the mole imagins laughs at him._ " _ **Already given up?"**_ _The first mole imagin clone asked._

" _ **Your future counterpart is much more of a challenge than you are. This makes our job so easy."**_ _The second mole magin clone said. They pointed their axe-hand at Shuichi._ " _ **Goodbye, Shuichi Nakamura."**_

 _Shuichi closed his eyes as he waited for the inevitable. But then, the sound of train caught his attention. He looked up and saw the Zero-Liner entering this time period. Shuichi stared confusingly until the Zero-Liner dropped off the man in the brown cloak._

 _The two mole imagin stepped back as the first mole imagin clone asked_ _ **, "You?! How are you here?!"**_

 _The man in the brown cloak didn't say a word as he pulled out the Zeronos belt. He wrapped it around his waist and pulls out a green card. He slides the switch on top of the belt and said, "Henshin." He slides the card in the belt as it called out._

 _ **ALTAIR FORM**_

 _The armor materialized as the armor pieces and faceplate attach with it. The mole imagin clones backed away as they muttered_ _ **, "Zeronos…"**_

 _Shuichi stared in shock as the man in the brown cloak, who they call Zeronos, charges into battle. The mole imagin clones spun around and traveled underground, stopping Zeronos in his place. He stood completely still until he felt vibrations under his feet. Zeronos retraced backwards, just in time before the mole imagin clones attack. Zeronos quickly assembles his crossbow and fired at the two imagins._

 _The first mole imagin clone got up and said_ _ **, "Just...DIE!"**_ _Just as he said that, someone riddled the mole imagin clones with bullets._

 _Shuichi turns to the source of the gunfire and sees Deneb._ " _ **Shuichi, I'm here!"**_ _Deneb shouted as he aided Zeronos. Zeronos pressed the button on top of the switch as it called out._

 _ **FULL CHARGE**_

 _He then pulled the card out of the belt and placed it into the crossbow. Lasers emitted from the stock of the crossbow to the tip as Zeronos pointed his weapon at the imagins. Then he pulled the trigger, releasing a large energy blast at both of them. The energy pierced both of them, forming an A on their body before exploding. Shuichi watched the battle in shock and awe before slowing losing consciousness, due to blood loss._

* * *

 _Shuichi slowly opened his eyes as he realized he was on some kind of train. He sat up, only to sit back down because of the wounds he sustained. Shuichi noticed that most of his wounds were bandaged up and healed. He looked at his surroundings until the door opens, revealing Deneb with a medical tray. Deneb bowed politely and said_ _ **, "Hello Shuichi, my name is Deneb. I'm here to help you."**_ _Deneb sat next to Shuichi, who quickly backed away from him out of caution._ " _ **I understand that this is all very confusing for you. But please, I'm only here to help, trust me."**_

 _Shuichi looked at Deneb cautiously for a bit until he decided to trust him. Deneb removed the blood soaked bandages around his torso to check on the wound. Deneb had a sigh of relief as he said_ _ **, "It looks like your aura has managed to heal the wound back up. I think you should be fine. But just in case, here are some painkillers if you start experiencing pain again."**_ _Deneb then hands him two painkiller pills, his shirt, and sweater._ " _ **I helped clean and sew your clothes back together."**_

 _Shuichi bowed and said, "Thank you, Deneb." As he puts his shirt and sweater back on, Shuichi asked, "Could you tell me where I am?"_

" _ **Well, you are on the Zero-Liner. A train that can travel through the stations of the past, present, and future."**_

" _Stations of past, present, and future?"_

" _ **I'll let him explain."**_ _Deneb said as the man in the brown cloak appeared._

 _Shuichi stared at him as he took off his hat. His eyes widen at who he saw. His face has an uncanny resemblance of Shuichi, but slightly more aged. "You...why do you look like me?" Shuichi asked._

 _Nakamura pulled a deck of green cards out of his pocket as he said to Shuichi, "Shuichi, we have much to discuss about."_

* * *

 _Shuichi's POV_

"And from there, he told me about the Imagins and Den-O." I told Ozpin while I finished my glass of milk. "As well as what happened in the future. The fall of Kuroyuri, the White Fang's change in leadership, the death of Summer Rose…"

I sighed softly as I felt Deneb's hand on my shoulder. " **Shuichi, are you okay?"** He asked.

I saw a hint of guilt in Professor Ozpin's eyes as he said, "Yes, her death weighs heavily on everyone. I'm sorry you had to find out that way."

"It's fine...It's just…" I started tearing up a bit.

Professor Ozpin sighed and said, "Shuichi, I understand that the death of Summer is hard to take in. But, her death in the end wasn't in vain."

"Was it? You sent her straight to The Queen! And did nothing as she slaughter her in cold blood!"

"Don't you lecture me about sacrifice!" Professor Ozpin snapped. "Summer decided to sacrifice her life to protect the world of Remnant. She was doing her job as a huntress, just like how you were when you protected your team and Kuroyuri from the Imagins!" Professor Ozpin slowly calmed down and continued, "When I told Team STRQ about your death, Summer fell into a deep depression. Every day, she mourned about your death and it killed me to see my brightest student fall so deep in despair. But, she managed to recover with the help her friends and loved, and I suggest you do the same. You can isolate yourself all you want, but it'll never heal the sadness in your heart."

I stared at Ozpin silently as I thought about his words. Friends. Something I haven't thought about ever since I started. But does it matter that I make any friends? In the end….they'll all just forget. Professor Ozpin cleared his throat, bring my attention back to him. "Now, on to the deal. I thought about it for a while and I have decided that in return, I want you and Deneb to stay and finish a year here at Beacon."

Deneb and I was in shock at what Ozpin said as I asked, "Oz, why?"

"It was for two reasons. The first is to help you become who you once were before. The second is because I want you to protect Ms. Rose."

"Protect her? From what?"

"For whatever may come in the future. Ruby is our last hope, and I won't let her snuff that light out."

The Queen. That monster took Summer. And I'm damn sure that I'm not gonna let her kill Ruby. Maybe this will make up for all the pain I caused for Summer. "Okay, I accept your deal. But, I'm doing this for her not me." I said to Ozpin.

"Very well. But first, you and Deneb will have to do an initiation." Professor Ozpin said.

I sighed and said, "Great, so should we get going to the Emerald Forest?"

"No, I had something else in mind."

* * *

 _Kurokuu's POV_

Team RWBY, Mai, and I all waited silently in the amphitheater ever since Professor Goodwitch called us on our scroll to meet her and Professor Ozpin here. Ruby groaned loudly as she said, "Sooooo booooooooooored!"

"Ruby, why don't you find something productive to do. Like study our notes, or read a book like Blake." Weiss suggested.

"Weiss, I want to do something fun, not boring!" Ruby said as she rests her chin on hand.

"I'm still wondering what Professor Goodwitch wants with us. I'm starting to worry that we did something wrong." I said to everyone.

Yang ruffled my hair and said, "Kurokuu, relax. We haven't done anything bad or gotten into any trouble ever since the bathhouse situation a week ago."

"I agree with Yang." Mai said. "Whatever it is, I'm sure it's nothing serious."

"Okay, then why did we bring our weapons?" I asked.

Yang activates her weapon and said, "Maybe, there's a testing thing goin' on."

"You are quite right, Ms. Xiao Long." We all turned around and saw Professor Goodwitch and Ozpin at the door. "But, it's not for you." They moved out of the way, revealing Shuichi and Deneb standing behind them.

"You! Why is he here?" I asked.

Professor Ozpin raised his hand and said, "They're here because of me. I made a deal with him and now he and Deneb will be taking their initiation testing by fighting all of you."

I stared at Professor Ozpin before staring back at Shuichi. I hear Yang cracking her knuckles as she said, "Great! I wanted to fight you ever since Kurokuu told me about you being a rider."

"You shouldn't take me lightly. I can beat all of you without a sweat." Shuichi said as he pulled out his weapon.

Deneb bowed to all of us and said **, "Hello again, I'm sorry for Shuichi's behavior. I hope we can still get along."**

"Hmph, at least he has some manners unlike Shuichi." Weiss commented as she readied up Myrtenaster.

Then two more people entered the room as we looked ahead and saw Professor Port and Doctor Oobleck. Doctor Oobleck took a sip from his mug and said, "Hello! If you don't mind, we would like to watch the match."

"It's no problem at all." Professor Ozpin said.

Professor Port laughed and said, "It's good to see Shuichi alive after all this time. And so young for that matter! Best of luck to you all and may the best huntsmen and huntresses win."

Ruby pulled out Crescent Rose and said, "Alright team, we gotta give them everything we got. Ready?!"

"Yep, let's do it." I said as I summoned the Momotarosword. We all head down to the arena as we got in our position. On the bleachers, Professor Ozpin, along with Professor Port and Doctor Oobleck, waited patiently for the match to begin.

Shuichi loaded the arrow into his crossbow while Deneb stretches his body out. Professor Goodwitch stood in the middle of the arena and said, "Alright students, you all know the rules. The fight will end until the entire team is out of bounds or have low aura, is that clear?" We all nodded in confirmation. "Good, let the match begin!"

The battle quickly started as Shuichi made the first move and fired an explosive arrow at us. However, Ruby saw this coming and shouted, "Weiss! Ice wall!" Weiss spun Myrtenaster's cylinder before stabbing the sword into the ground, conjuring an ice wall. "Yang, Weiss, Kurokuu, your with me on frontline! Blake, Mai, I need you to do supressing fire!"

We all nodded before the arrow exploded, destroying the ice wall we had. Ruby, Weiss, Yang, and I charged in while Mai and Blake were firing at Shuichi. But, Shuichi immediately dodged out of the way, allowing Deneb to fire at Blake and Mai. Weiss used her glyphs to speed towards Shuichi, but he quickly retraced back, causing Weiss to stab her weapon into the wall. Weiss panicked as she tried to pull the weapon out of the wall. I see Shuichi about to attack Weiss so I shouted, "Weiss, catch!"

Weiss looked towards me as I threw the Momotarosword at her, giving something to defend herself with. Shuichi struck downwards, but Weiss managed to block the attack with my sword. I quickly summoned the Uratarod and charged straight into Shuichi. I thrusted the rod into Shuichi's side, pushing him back slightly. Then Weiss took the advantage of the situation and slashed Shuichi across the chest. Shuichi growled as he shouted, "Deneb, I need supporting fire on my side!"

" **Roger!"** Deneb said before firing at us. Weiss and I rolled out of the way, but it left us completely wide open. Shuichi rushed towards Weiss and slashed her on the back before kicking her out of the ring.

"Weiss Schnee is out of the game!" Professor Goodwitch called out.

I growled as I switched out the Uratarod. "You...BASTARD!" I shouted as I summoned the Ryuvolver. I aimed the gun at Shuichi before unleashing a hail of bullets at him. Shuichi blocked a few of the bullets before dodging out of the way. I stopped firing for a bit since the recoil was hurting my shoulders. Good thing Yang showed my how to fire a gun, especially this one. I switched out the Ryuvolver for the Kintaros Ax. I regrouped with Yang and Ruby and said, "Weiss is out. How are we gonna do this?"

Ruby fires her gun as she said, "I'll handle Shuichi, you and Yang stop Deneb!"

Yang cracked her knuckles and said, "Alright! Let's do this!" Following Ruby's plan, Yang and I charged towards Deneb. Deneb freaked out at our sudden appearance and opened fire on us. However, Yang and I managed to roll out of the way. I did an overhead strike on Deneb, but he caught it with one hand. Deneb redirected my attack before axe kicking me into the ground. Yang rushed in and tried to punch Deneb, but he redirected Yang's punch and shot her point blank in the stomach.

"YANG!" I hear Blake shouting before jumping in. Blake switched Gambol Shroud into its Katana form and slashed Deneb across the chest. He stumbled back as me, Mai, Blake, and Yang regrouped.

"What do we do? He's pretty tough!" I asked.

Mai stayed quiet for a moment until she said, "I have a plan." She proceeded to tell us about her strategy. And I have to say, the plan might just work. Deneb got back up as we all got in our position. I switched the Kintaros Axe with the Uratarod and rushed in. I swung overhead, but Deneb blocked the attack with his hands. However, I sweep kick Deneb off his feet before moving out of the way. As Deneb got back up, he was met by an explosive arrow near his face. I hear him gulp loudly before the explosion went off, sending him flying straight through the roof and into the air.

As we await for Deneb to come back down, Blake wrapped Gambol Shroud's ribbon around Yang's arm before spinning her around in circles. Blake spun Yang so fast that from the naked eye, it looked like a black and yellow tornado. Then, we see Deneb slowly coming back down as Mai shouted, "Blake, now!"

Blake then lets go of Yang, sending her flying like a rocket. Deneb crashed into the arena, groaning in pain. He got back up, only to see Yang's fist make contact with his face. Yang punched Deneb so hard that he crashed into one of our classroom. "My room!" I hear Professor Port shouting.

"Deneb is out of the game!" Professor Goodwitch called out.

"Alright! Deneb's out!" I cheered. But victory was short lived as we see Ruby get sent flying into the other side of the room.

"Ruby Rose is out of the game!" Professor Goodwitch called out.

Mai was about to grab an arrow from her quiver, but she realized that she's all out. Mai groaned as she tossed her bow and quiver aside and said, "Alright, guys. We need to plan these next few attacks slowly. First-"

Mai cuts herself off as she saw Yang charging head on towards Shuichi. "Yang, what're you doing?!" I shouted. Yang didn't listen as she kept on firing rounds after rounds at Shuichi.

"Don't you hurt my baby sister!" Yang shouted. But, Shuichi managed to dodge the incoming gunfire. Ember Celica stopped firing since it was completely out of shells. Shuichi saw the opportunity and fired off an explosive arrow at Yang. Yang stumbled back and got back up. "Is that all you got?! I can keep go..ing…" Yang went silent as she saw a piece of her hair flutter down in front of her.

Mai, Blake, and I slowly backed away as Yang said, "You...YOU'RE GONNA GET IT NOW!" In an instant, her hair emitted flames as her eyes changed from lilac to red. Yang rushed straight in and punched Shuichi in the guts.

"ARGH!" I hear Shuichi shout as he gets sent flying to the other side. But, he quickly retraced back in front of Yang, preventing him from getting a ring out. Yang reloaded her gauntlets before firing wildly at Shuichi, who immediately rolled out of the way. Then Shuichi loaded an arrow with a blue tip. I wonder what that arrow did until he fired it at Yang's feet. She looked confused until Shuichi looked away from her. The arrow starting beeping loudly as a bright light entered our eyes.

My vision became blurry as I realized what that was. It's a flashbang. Yang was completely blinded, allowing Shuichi to knock Yang out cold by hitting her with the stock of the crossbow. Mai, Blake, and I recovered from the flashbang as Blake asked, "Yang's out, what now?"

"I know what to do. Blake, wrap Shuichi with your ribbon. Kurokuu, get the gun ready." Mai said as she cracked her knuckles.

"What're you gonna do? You have no weapon!" I exclamied.

"Don't worry I can handle myself." Mai said as she walked towards Shuichi.

Shuichi looked at Mai with confusion as he asked, "You're fighting me with no weapon? Are you asking me to put you in your deathbed?"

"I'm very capable fighting without my weapon." Mai said as she got in her stance.

"Fine, suit yourself!" Shuichi said before doing a downwards strike, but Mai quickly rolled out of the way. Shuichi slashed left and right as Mai kept on dodging. Then he thrusted his sword, but Mai moved out of the way and disarmed him. Shuichi growled as he went in for a punch, but Mai redirects the attack. Mai's arm glowed white as she punched Shuichi straight in the gut, causing him to glow white as well. I was wondering what Mai did until I noticed how slow Shuichi is moving. Shuichi was stumbling back in slow motion, low voice and all.

Mai turned to Blake and shouted, "Blake, tie him up quick! He's not gonna be like this for much longer!" Blake nodded as she tied Shuichi up with Gambol Shroud's ribbon. The slow motion effect wore off as Shuichi struggled to break free. "Kurokuu, now!"

I nodded as I switched out the Uratarod with the Ryuvolver. I aimed the barrel at Shuichi as a large ball of energy formed at the barrel. I pulled the trigger, unleashing the energy at him. A small explosion occurred, causing everyone to shield themselves from it. Smoke filled the room until Professor Goodwitch opened the window. The smoke cleared up as we see Shuichi standing outside of the arena.

"Shuichi Nakamura is out of the game!" Professor Goodwitch called out.

Mai and I cheered victoriously while Blake simply stayed quiet. Ruby and Weiss joined us while carrying the unconscious Yang on their shoulders as Ruby said, "Great job team!"

We hear our professors clapping as Professor Port cheered, "Bravo! Bravo! Truly stellar performance on both sides!"

"Yes, indeed! And also great leadership skills, Ms. Rose, Mai." Doctor Oobleck complimented.

I walked over to Shuichi as he helped Deneb up off the ground. Shuichi stared at me and said, "Congrats kiddo, you win. Are you here to rub it in my face?"

"No, I thought about what you said." I said.

"I see." He laid Deneb against the wall and asked, "Alright, why is it that you fight? Even though you're the weakest, have the worst luck, and know nothing about this. Why do you keep fighting?"

The room went deathly quiet as they wanted to know what was going on. I took a deep breath and said, "At first, I became Den-O because I knew I couldn't avoid it. I just did it because I wanted to deal with it now than having to deal with it later. And personally, that was a shallow reason why I became Den-O. But over time, the more friends I made here at Beacon, the more I realize why I choose to fight instead of giving up. I fight because I want to protect everyone I hold dear. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Mai, Kasumi, everyone! I understand that I'm not the best fighter, hell maybe Jaune is better than me. I understand that I have the worst luck out of everyone. And I know that I don't understand any of this Imagin stuff. But, that's not gonna stop me from doing what I can. I lost my parents and Kasumi, and I'm sure in hell that I ain't gonna lose anyone else."

Everyone looked shocked at what I said, except the Professors. Shuichi and I stare at each other from an extend period of time until Shuichi sighed and said, "Seems like you do know something." Shuichi walked up to me and pushed me to the ground. "Fine, you caught my attention. But if you want to protect your friends, you gotta become stronger."

I stared at Shuichi as he had a small grin on his face. Then I hear footsteps coming towards us as I turn and see Professor Ozpin. I stood back up as he said, "Well, this was certainly interesting. Shuichi, although you lost, you have decimated half of the team with your combined teamwork with Deneb. You've done well."

"Thanks, Oz." Shuichi said as he picked Deneb back up.

"I declare that Shuichi and Deneb has passed their initiation." Professor Port and Doctor Oobleck starting clapping before we decided to clap along. "And I've decided that I will form a new team." We all stared intensely at Professor Ozpin, waiting for him to tell us about the 'new team' he's gonna create. "Shuichi Nakamura, Mai, Kurokuu Akarui, and Deneb. You four have displayed the skills, cooperation, and determination needed in order to become Beacon's first mixed team. You four will become Team MSKD (Masked) led by Mai."

Mai is in shock as Team RWBY and I cheered for our friend's promotion to leader. "Great job, Mai!" I shouted.

Professor Ozpin smiled behind his mug as he said, "Seems like I was right. This year has only gotten more interesting."

* * *

(A/N:) Okay, I'm just gonna quickly talk about a few things in this chapter. I decided to have Kurokuu, Mai, Shuichi, and Deneb be a team so I can have more interactions and bonding between Kurokuu and Shuichi, and Shuichi and Mai. As for Team NXUS, Nereus and Ulysseus were based off of characters in the myth, _Homer and the Odyssey._ Ulysseus is a character based on Oddysseus and Nereus is a taken by a character of the same name, who is also known as the "Old man of the sea." Although, Nereus' appearance and weapon is based off of Aquaman's villain of the same name. And the basis of Xavier is based off of Charles Xavier from the X-Men. Although, his semblance is based off of the power from Beyond Two Souls, where Jodie has a spirit that possess people and stuff like that. And lastly, Mai's semblance. It actually took awhile to think about her semblance until I got the idea from playing Super Smash Bros, one day. Her semblance is based off of Bayonetta's witch time ability where she could slow down an individual's movement.

So anyways, I hope you guys all enjoy this chapter. Leave a review on what you thought about this chapter and I'll see you later. Bye!


	14. Chapter 14: Food Fight!

(A/N:) Hey guys, welcome back to another chapter of Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time. Man, that Weiss trailer for Volume 5 has got me so hyped! *Ahem* Anyways, I'm gonna do something a little different today. I'll be replying or answering some reviews you left behind. I see some other people doing this and I thought that this could be a fun way of connecting with my readers. I'll usually pick around 3 or 4 reviews so if you have any questions on the series or what not, go on ahead and ask.

 **Wyvernsaurus:** Hey! I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying the series. And the reason why I had Xavier's semblance to only possess living things that has aura because if I had him possess anything he wants, it would be to OP. When it comes with creating a semblance, you always gotta think of a way to make it not to OP. And if this clears anything up, Xavier possessed a wolf, not a beowolf. And if I remembered, humans, faunus, and animal can all generate aura.

 **Ultimate Kuuga** **:** I understand how last chapter was much more heavily dialogued than the others. But sometimes, the best stories doesn't need to have a ton of action. But, I'm still grateful that you enjoyed it. Thank you.

 **Summer Rose:** Thanks. I had a lot of trouble on this particular fight scene because I wasn't sure if I wanted to have Shuichi and Deneb or Team RWBY, Kurokuu, and Mai to win. But, in the end, I just chose Team RWBY to win because the thought process I had at the time was that it didn't matter if they win, I need to get the Kurokuu's reason across.

 **Kamen Rider w:** Man, this Doom Marine 54 subject has been popular in the reviews. Like I said before, I personally don't care or get offended by their actions since they don't know me and I don't know them. Unless they have something benefical for me to become a better writer, I couldn't careless with what kind of crap they say to me.

And as always, leave a review on what you think and I hope you all enjoy.

I do not I own the rights to the series RWBY or Kamen Rider. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth Productions and The Kamen Rider Series is owned by Toei Company

"Normal Speech"

'Thoughts/Inner communication between OC and imagin'

 _"Third Person/Flashback"_

 **"Imagin speech"**

* * *

 _Today is a wild and busy day at Beacon, students and teachers left and right are quickly preparing for the new semester starting to tomorrow. But, Professor Ozpin doesn't seem to fret about it. He stood quietly in the elevator with papers in hand as he slowly makes his way to his office._

 _The elevator door opens as Professor Ozpin walks into his office. He sets his paper down and picks up his cup of coffee off the table. He tooks a sip of his coffee, albeit cold, it was still enjoyable. Suddenly, Professor Ozpin shifts his eyes to the right and sets his coffee down. "General Ironwood, I see you arrived early." Professor Ozpin said calmly._

 _Professor Ozpin turns around and sees General Ironwood standing by the elevator. "Ozpin." General Ironwood said cordially._

 _They both shook hands as Professor Ozpin said, "General."_

" _Please, drop the formalities." General Ironwood said. He analyzes the room and notices one person missing. "If I may ask, where's Glynda?"_

" _Off filing some papers and such for the new semester." He turns to his desk and picks up his cup of coffee. "And may I ask what has brought you all the way down here from Atlas? Usually headmasters don't travel with their students, let alone get here one day before them."_

 _Ironwood pulls out his canteen from his coat and pours the content inside Ozpin's cup. "Well, you know how much I love Vale this time of year. Besides, with you hosting, I thought that this might be a good opportunity to catch up."_

" _Okay then, what would you like to talk about?" Ozpin asked._

" _Ozpin, you know what I'm about to say." Ironwood said sternly._

 _Professor Ozpin sets his mug down and said, "James, we are at a time of peace. We mustn't fret about our situation if it's already being handled."_

" _Handled?! We haven't even stopped her yet. She's out there doing Oum knows what right under our noses!" Ironwood stated as he puts his canteen away. "And now we have an army of Imagins above us and you put the fate of the world on a child?!"_

" _So you know about him?" Ozpin asked._

" _Yes. I found out weeks ago when a footage of him transforming in front of everyone came up. And I had to remove the footage from the public." The General said as he pulled out his scroll and played the footage of Kurokuu transforming into his Axe Form. He turns the video off and asked, "Why didn't you alert me? I thought you said we wouldn't keep secrets from each other. I trusted you, Glynda, and Qrow with my secret, so why didn't tell me anything about this boy?!"_

 _Professor Ozpin sighed and said, "The Owner and I only found out of his existence a few years ago. Back in 2008, Summer and Qrow alerted me and The Owner about who the Den-O was. It took a while, but we managed to find him. I'm having him stay here so he can train and become stronger for when the time comes."_

 _Ironwood sighs stressfully before walking towards the elevator door. He turns around and ask, "Let me ask you one more thing before I leave. Do you really think that a child can stop an army of Imagins? Let alone stop the war?" And with that, the elevator door opens, revealing the Sands of Time on the other side._

 _Ironwood enters inside as the door closes. Ozpin sat quietly and said, "I hope he doesn't have to."_

* * *

 **Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time**

 **Chapter 14: Food Fight!**

* * *

"Kurokuu! Please don't leave us!" Ruby pleaded as she clung to my waist. "We were such a good team! I had over a thousand combat strategies for you to use!"

I managed to grab my box, filled with my belongings and asked, "Ruby, can you please let go?"

"No! I'll never let go!"

Weiss groaned and pulled Ruby off my waist. "You dunce! Kurokuu isn't gonna leave!" Weiss scolded.

"Ruby, it's fine. We can still hang out and practice." I said as I walked towards the door. "By the way guys, thanks for helping me move my stuff to my new dorm."

Yang carried all of my luggages as she said, "No problem, Kurokuu!"

Blake carried my other box of belongings and commented, "For a guy, you bring a lot of stuff with you. I think you could rival that amount with Weiss."

"Hey!" Weiss and I said in unison.

Yang chuckled for a bit and asked, "Blake, could you stop being so Blakey?" Blake glared at Yang. "Alright, alright, I'll stop."

Ruby finally calmed down as Weiss said, "I'm still kinda surprised that Professor Ozpin put you in a new team."

"You know him, he's full of surprises." I said. "Almost as surprising when he basically broke the team forming code and put me in with you guys."

"I wonder what our team name was?" Yang asked.

"Wasn't it KRWBY (Crew-by)?" I suggested as the team name appeared next to me.

"No, you weren't the leader, Ruby was. How about RWBKY (Rubic)? With a silent Y?" Yang suggested as the team name appeared next to her.

Weiss sighed and said, "Guys, enough with the team name. Let's just get this over with." She looked towards Ruby. "And Ruby, stop sulking and help Kurokuu with something." Ruby sighed loudly as she walked towards the bookshelf and grabbed my Scroll Box console.

"Geez, Ice Queen. What's got you so worked up?" Yang asked.

"I just don't like spending the last day of break moving some stuff around."

"Oh come on, we're almost done. And besides, I don't see you carrying anything."

Weiss picked up my box of clothes and said, "I'm carrying his clothes."

"Alright, just don't go sifting through his boxers." Yang said slyly.

"YANG!" Weiss and I shouted in unison.

Yang laughed as she opened the door. We walked across the hall to Team JNPR's dorm before walking to the dorm next door. We set my stuff down as I pulled out my scroll. "You know it's really convenient that your team's dorm is right across from us and next to Team JNPR." Yang said.

"I know right, almost as if it was all planned out by someone." I said as I swiped my scroll over the door. As I open the door, I could hear Team RWBY gasping in unison.

My dorm looked like any other, but there was much more room than before. "What? How come your dorm has so much room?!" Ruby asked.

"Well, Shuichi keeps his belongings on the Zero-Liner, while Mai keeps her belongings on the Den-Liner. So that just leaves me leaving my stuff here." I said as I picked up my box of belongings.

As we entered inside, Yang said, "We should have a party here! I mean, look at all this room!"

"Of course, you would think that." Weiss said as she set my clothes down near the closet.

"Alright guys, I think we're done for now. I unpack everything myself later." I said to everyone. As everyone set my things down, my stomach started rumbling loudly. "Sorry, must be hungry."

"Well, it's 12:48. Lunch should've started by now." Blake said.

"Well then, let's go!" Yang exclaimed as she walked out of my team's dorm.

We exit the dorm and see Team JNPR standing outside as well. "You guys getting lunch too?" I asked.

"Yep, we were waiting for you guys." Pyrrha said. "I heard about the new team you're in. I just want to say congratulations."

"Thank, Pyr. But enough of that, let's just go get lunch." I said as we walked towards the cafeteria. I looked around and noticed that Ruby was walking in the other direction. "Ruby, where are you going?"

"Oh, I'm gonna go get something. I'll catch up with you guys later!" Ruby said as she went inside her dorm. I didn't think much of it so we continued walking. As everyone around me were chatting with each other, I thought about Shuichi. Why did he join? I thought he had no intention of being around me or anyone. What did Ozpin do to get Shuichi to join? I sighed stressfully. Maybe I'm just thinking about this too much. He has his reasons for being here and that's all.

* * *

 _It's another beautiful day in the city of Vale as civilians were off doing their own business. The shopkeeper of "From Dust Till Dawn" is seen hanging a banner on shop, declaring that his shop is re-open for business. As he climbs down the ladder, he stumbles and falls right next to a certain green clad girl._

 _Emerald giggled and said, "Scuse me, sorry I'm not from around here." She helps the shopkeeper up. "Would you mind pointing me in the direction of this shop?"_

 _Emerald hands him a piece of paper for him to look over. "Hmm? Mm-hm." The Shopkeeper mumbled as he explained the directions to Emerald._

 _Emerald and the shopkeeper shared their goodbye before going on their separate ways. Emerald walks past a corner, where Mercury is seen waiting there for her. "I knew you were lost." Mercury said._

 _Emerald pulls out a wallet filled with liens and said, "Mercury, I will seriously pay you to shut up."_

" _That's not your money."_

" _But it could be yours for five minutes of silence."_

 _Mercury ponders about the deal. "Mmmnm...No deal." Mercury said._

" _Fine." Emerald said as she took the liens out of the wallet before walking away._

" _Whatever, you want me." Mercury said arrogantly. Mercury and Emerald are walking through the city, following the direction that the shopkeeper told them. "How much further?"_

" _A few blocks."_

" _Ugh...this place is so dull."_

" _Eh, I kinda like it. Tall buildings, diverse culture…"_

" _And nice dopey people who are easy to pickpocket." Mercury interrupted._

 _Emerald stops in place as she said, "That's every city."_

" _Ooh! Emerald! Master Thief! Please don't take my money! I barely have enough to get by!" Mercury said in an exaggerated fearful expression. Emerald simply glared at him before groaning angrily and walking away. "Ugh...you're not fun today."_

 _Mercury follows Emerald as they entered inside a book shop. They hear humming coming from the back as Mercury and Emerald explored the room. Mercury stood near the entrance to look at some books while Emerald is standing at the counter. She hits the service bell as a voice said, "Be right there!" The double door opens revealing a man carrying two stacks of books. "Welcome to 'Tukson's Book Trade', home to every book under the sun!"_

 _He sets the books down, allowing them to see his features. He has a fair complexion with clean cut black hair, large sideburns, and yellow eyes. He wore a short-sleeved quarter-zip burgundy, a black shirt with a visible white undershirt, jeans, and black shoes. "How may I…" He gasps silently and hesitates upon seeing Mercury and Emerald. "How may I help you?"_

" _Just browsing." Mercury said as he shuts the book in his hands._

" _Actually, I was wondering, do you have any copies of 'The Thief and the Butcher?'" Emerald asked._

" _Yes, we do." Tukson replied._

" _That's great!"_

" _Would you...like a copy?"_

" _No, just wondering. Oh! What about 'Violet's Garden?'"_

" _He's got it. Hardback too." Mercury said as he pulled out the copy._

" _Ooh, options are nice."_

 _Mercury closes the book and said, "Eh, no pictures. Hey! Do you have any comics?"_

" _Near the front." Tukson said._

" _Oh, no, wait! What...about… 'Third Crusade?'"_

 _Tukson started to look uneasy. He starts to hesitate as he said, "Um...I...don't believe we carry that one."_

" _Oh." Mercury said as he slams the book shut._

" _What was this place called again?" Emerald asked._

" _Tukson's Book Trade." Tukson answered._

" _And you're Tukson?"_

" _That's right."_

" _So then I take it you're the one who came up of the catchphrase?"_

" _Yes."_

" _And what was it again?" Mercury asked._

" _Tukson's Book Trade, home to every book under the sun."_

" _Except the 'Third Crusade.'"_

" _It's just a catchphrase."_

" _It's false advertising!"_

" _You shouldn't make promises you can't keep, Tukson." Emerald said as Mercury starts to darken the windows. "I hear that you're planning on leaving. Moving all the way to Vacuo." Mercury then darkens the window in the front door. "Your brothers in the White Fang won't be happy to hear that." And lastly, Mercury darkens the last window while smiling creepily. "And neither are we... You know who we are, don't you?_

" _Yes." Tukson answered._

" _And you know why we're here, right?"_

" _Yes." Tukson said as he reached under his counter and pulled the pin._

" _So...are you gonna fight back?"_

" _No."_

 _Emerald smiled victoriously as she said, "Good. Your death will be quick and-GAH!" Suddenly, a bright light entered Emerald's and Mercury's eyes, blinding them temporarily. Tukson took this opportunity and grabbed his pistol and a ticket under the counter as he made his way towards the storage room. Mercury, still blinded by the flashbang, fired wildly, hoping to hit Tukson. Books and pages flew everywhere as the pellets pierced through it. Unfortunately, the pellets pierced through Tukson's side, but he quickly got back up and kept on running._

 _Their vision were restored as Emerald shouted, "Don't let him get away!" Mercury nodded as he ran after him. Blood seeped through his shirt as he limped his way towards the storage room. He could hear the footsteps coming closer as he pulled out the ticket. Tukson quickly opened the door, revealing to be the Sands of Time. Tukson entered inside and closed the door, just in time before Mercury fired off his rounds._

 _Tukson laid in the sand as more blood spilled onto the ground. "Heh...I made it." Tukson mumbled as he sees the Den-Liner making a stop. But sadly, he sees a white light enter his vision. "Damn...so close...At least...I can die...peacefully." Tukson smiled happily before taking one last breath. His eyes slowly closed as his heart stopped beating. This marks the death of Tukson, who died being free._

* * *

Team (R)WBY, JNPR, and I all sat quietly as we finish our lunch. And by quiet, I mean Yang and Nora tossing food in each other's mouths. But that aside, we just quietly enjoyed our lunch. I looked around and saw Shuichi sitting at a table by himself, not making eye contact with anyone. Still, I couldn't help but wonder why he's here?

"What'cha doin'?" I turned around and saw Yang talking to Blake.

"Nothing. Just going over some notes from last semester." Blake replied.

Then a grape flew in the air and landed in Yang's mouth. "Lame." Yang replied as she gave Nora a thumbs up for her throwing skills.

Nora and Yang continued their game until Ruby came in and slammed a large binder on the table. The binder itself was the same binder for the "AWESOME TWO WEEK BREAK ACTIVITY!" But instead, she crossed that out and replaced it with "BEST DAY EVER ACTIVITIES." She clears her throat and said, "Sisters...Friends...Weiss…"

"Was is it with people making fun of me today?" Weiss asked.

"Four score and seven minutes ago, I had a dream."

"Well, this oughta be good." Yang said as she caught a berry in her mouth.

"A dream that one day, the four of us will come together, as a team, and have the most fun anyone has ever had... ever!" Ruby stated excitedly.

"Did you steal my binder again?" Weiss asked.

Ruby made two peace signs as she said, "Again, I'm not a crook."

"What do you mean?" Blake asked.

"I'm talking about kicking off the semester with a bang!" Ruby said while pointing at Blake.

"I always kick my semesters off with a Yang!" We all glared at her as she said, "Eh? Guys? Am I right?" I hear Nora booing in the back as she threw an apple at Yang.

"Look guys, it's been a good two weeks and between more exchange students arriving and the tournament at the end of the year, our second semester is going to be great! But, classes start back up tomorrow! Which is why I've taken the time to schedule a series of wonderful events for us today."

"I don't know whether to be proud or scared of what you have in store." Weiss said as Yang threw the apple back at Nora, but it hit someone else instead.

"I don't know. I think I might sit this one out." Blake said.

"Come on, Blake." I said, trying to convince her to have fun. "We rarely had any fun over the two week break. I mean, we went through a lot. And I say let's spend this last day together as a group!"

"Kurokuu's right." Weiss said. "Sit out or not, I think that however we spend this last day, we do it as a team!"

"I got it!" I hear Nora shouting.

I just ignored her as I stood up and said, "Well, I say we should-" I felt something creamy hit the side of my face. I removed the pie pan from my face as I realized that Nora threw a pie at me. Weiss and Ruby covered the mouths as Yang and Nora were bursting with laughter. I turned to Nora and saw her pointing at Ren. 'Okay, don't do anything rash. Just wash it off and be mature about this.' is what I initially thought before grabbing a can of soda off my tray.

"Kurokuu, what're you doing?" Weiss asked.

I shook the soda can as hard as I could and shouted, "Nora! Catch!"

I threw the can at Nora, who caught it with one hand. "Ha! I caught it!" I smiled sinisterly as she slowly pried the top open. "You thought I wouldn't-GYAH!" Nora was interrupted by the grape soda exploding all over her and her team.

"Ha! Take that!" I shouted. But I immediately regretted that as I saw an angry Nora glaring at me.

Knowing what will happen next, I turn around and saw Yang standing in the table. She shouted at the top of her lungs, "FOOD FIGHT!"

* * *

 _Outside the cafeteria, Sun and another individual is seen walking together. The individual has a tanned complexion with dark blue eyes and light blue undercut hair. He wears a white dress shirt and black tie under a red jacket with a wide, upturned, black collar and a pair of gray jeans with black padding strapped to the sides. The back of his jacket displays a silver reticle. He wears black shoes that are fastened with straps, rather than laces. Notable accessories include black fingerless gloves and a pair of yellow-tinted goggles worn on his forehead. His name is Neptune Vasilias._

" _Man, that's harsh." He said._

" _I know, we were fighting side by side. She was super fast and I threw a banana at the guy, which sounds gross, but it was awesome." Sun told in an exciting tone._

" _Nice."_

" _Yeah, and the best part is, she's a faunus! But, that's a secret, okay?" Sun asked._

" _Got it." Neptune said._

 _Sun leans in on him and said, "And not a, 'I'm gonna go tell Scarlet the second Sun turns his back secret', I'm talking secret secret."_

" _Woah! Chill out man! I got it!" Neptune reassured._

" _You better!" Sun said. "I just don't want to screw this up, you know? The people here are the coolest! No offense to you guys."_

" _None taken."_

" _Oh wait, how could I forget this part! So I was ready to fight him until I felt this weird presence enter me, like some possession. And he took over my body and fought all the bad guys off! And then, a weird bat monster thing attacked us!"_

" _Woah, that sounds scary. What happened next?" Neptune asked._

" _Oh this part is the most awesome! So this guy, I think his name is Kurokuu, came out of nowhere and started dancing. Then he transformed like into some superhero like in the shows and then he fought it off and killed it! Then it came back to life as some giant thing! I thought we were goners until some portal opened in the sky and trains came out of it. They combined together and obliterated the thing, explosion and all!"_

" _Woah! That sounds intense!"_

 _Sun and Neptune soon arrived at the entrance of the cafeteria as Sun said, "They're just in here. I'm really excited for you to meet them. So be cool, okay? You're gonna be cool, right?"_

" _Dude." The blue haired man said while posing with a bright smile on his face._

" _Good point." Sun and Neptune both entered inside as the students ran passed them. They stared in shock as they saw the food fight starting._

* * *

"Ahahahaha! I'm queen of the castle! I'm queen of the castle!" Nora sand as she stood tall on her tower of tables.

Ruby stomped her feet on table while pointing at Team JNPR. "Justice will be swift! Justice will be painful! It will be delicious!" Ruby shouts as she squeezes a carton of milk.

"Yeah!" Team RWBY and I shouted at the same time as we charged into battle.

"Off with their heads!" Nora commanded as Team JNPR began throwing watermelons at us.

"Yang, turkey!" Ruby said. Yang complied as she rolled towards the turkeys and sticks her fists inside them. She slams her fist together before punching the incoming watermelons. As she's doing that, Blake jumps over Yang and grabs two baguettes to help her destroy the incoming watermelon.

I grabbed two cola bottles and a fish as my weapon. I jumped on the lunch tray and shook the bottles up. "Yang, Blake! Move!" I shouted. They immediately moved out of the way as I opened the bottles. The pressure inside was so great that it launched me like a rocket. "SCREAMING EAGLES!" I shouted as I flew towards Jaune and Ren. As I landed, I grabbed the empty bottles and smashed it on both their heads. I see Pyrrha about to attack me with a baguette, so I rolled out of the way and kicked her into the soda machine. I took this opportunity and charged straight at her with the only food I have left in my arsenal, the fish. I twirled the fish around like a nunchaku before swinging downwards, but Pyrrha managed to block the attack with her baguette.

We stared at each other until Pyrrha kicked me back. She went in with a diagonally strike, but I moved to the side and hit her in the side. Then she went in for a vertical strike, but I bent the fish in a U shape so I could catch the baguette. I smirked as I disarmed Pyrrha and smacked her in the face with a fish. As she stumbled back, I cheered, "Ha! Ha! I bested the untouchable! Yes! Aw yeah! Aw...No…" My victory was short lived however as I see Pyrrha using her semblance to lift the soda cans. "Wait a minute, I thought aluminum isn't magnetic. How are you- AHHH!" I couldn't finish what I was saying as a large wave of soda cans pushed me into the kitchen.

I groaned in pain and said, "Oh...Forgot about that." I looked around at the kitchen and noticed how untouched it was. Then I hear something behind me as I turn around and saw Deneb and Shuichi eating silently. "Deneb? Shuichi? Why are you guys here?" I asked curiously.

"Well, I was trying to escape, but you guys already started the fight and I had to take cover in the kitchen. And Deneb here, was helping the kitchen staff make food." Shuichi answered as he took a bite of the cookie he had in his hands.

" **Yep, and we're trying to wait out the fight since we don't want to get involved."** Deneb said as he took a sip of tea.

"Well, looks like went through a lot." Shuichi said before sniffing me. "And, is that…?"

"Yes, I got covered in soda. Pyrrha knocked me in here." I answered.

"Ah, gotcha. Well, good luck with fighting because I'm not gonna get my new uniform dirty." Shuichi said.

"Alright, no one's asking you to join, geez." I said as I walked towards the fridge.

I opened inside and saw so many things I could use to fight with. Then I felt the room shake as I hear Ruby crying, "Weiss, don't leave me! Noooooo!"

I decided to pick up the pace as I grabbed a baguette, mustard bottle, a large turkey leg, and some soda cans. Once I grabbed the essentials, Momotaros appeared in front of me. "Momotaros, what are you doing here?"

 **"Heh, the question you should be asking is why am I not part of this climax?!"** Momotaros asked.

"Well, it kinda just happened so I forgot."

 **"Well, I haven't had any spotlight recently, so let me fight!"**

Of course, Momotaros wants to fight. Knowing that he would bug me nonstop, I sighed and said, "Alright, you're up."

 **"Alright! IKUZE! IKUZE! IKUZE!"** Momotaros shouted as he entered my body. Momotaros cracked his knuckles as he wields the baguette and joined the fray. As we enter back in the fight, we saw that Weiss is out cold while Yang, Blake, and Ruby are still fighting. Momotaros grinned before shouting **, "IKUUUUUZZZZZZE!"**

Ruby and Blake stared at us as Momotaros teamed up with Yang on fighting Ren. As Yang sent him flying in the air, Momotaros jumped up and swung downwards, smashing Ren into the ground. Yang and Momotaros high fived each other before being interrupted by Nora wielding a watermelon on a stick? Yang and Nora were toe to toe with each other before Nora sent her flying through the roof. Momotaros and Blake dodged out of the way from the falling debris as Blake picks up some sausage links off the ground to use it as a whip.

While Blake is dealing with Nora, Momotaros is about to go against Pyrrha. Pyrrha noticed that change in appearance as she asked, "Momotaros, is that you?"

 **"You bet your ass it is. From here on out, everything is at the climax!"** Momotaros said before charging towards Pyrrha with a vertical strike. She smirked as she used her semblance again to control the soda cans. She manipulated them and tried to attack Momotaros, but he rolled out of the way, causing the cans to hit Blake instead. Momotaros got up and was ready to fight until Urataros appeared in his translucent form. " **Oi, turtle bastard. What are you doing here?!"** Momotaros asked.

 **"Well, I hadn't done anything in awhile so I want to join in on the fun. So move."** Urataros said as he jumps into my body. I could feel the two of them fighting over my body before Urataros kicks Momotaros out.

* * *

 _Meanwhile on the Den-Liner, Kintaros and Ryutaros standing quietly as Momotaros fell back into the dining car. He growled as he shouts_ _ **, "TURTLE SOUP! I SWEAR TO OUM THAT IF YOU LOSE, I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS!"**_

 _Kintaros and Ryutaros sighed while shaking their heads._ **"** _ **He's hopeless."**_ _Kintaros said as he grabs Momotaros and throws him into the benches._ **"** _ **Besides, I could do a better job since I have my strength!"**_

 **"** _ **Yeah, you got this, Kuma-chan!"**_ _Ryutaros cheered._ " _ **Once you go, can I go after?"**_

 **"** _ **Of course! This is a free day today!"**_ _Kintaros said before laughing._

 _Then, Mai walked into the room as she notices Urataros is missing. "Guys, where's Urataros?" Mai asked._

 **"** _ **Oh! Kame-chan is in Kurokuu's body fighting Team JNPR!"**_ _Ryutaros replied._

 _Mai growled angrily and said, "Are you kidding me?! Can't I get a break for once?! I'm going to Professor Goodwitch!" And with that, Mai left the dining car to alert Professor Goodwitch about the fight._

* * *

Urataros smiles as he drops the baguette and picks up the sausage links. He spun it around before throwing it at Pyrrha. The sausage links wrapped around Pyrrha as Urataros pulls her towards him. I starting panicking as I see Urataros wrapping his arms around Pyrrha. 'Urataros, what're you doing?! Stop that!' I said.

" **Kurokuu, I'm helping you get the girl. Is that a problem?"** Urataros asked.

'Yes, this is wrong! I don't like Pyrrha!'

 **"Oh well, too late."** I could see Urataros rushing in, about to kiss Pyrrha for the second time. Luckily, Nora came in and swung her makeshift hammer at Urataros, pushing him back. Urataros crashed into the wall and said **, "Well, isn't she a tough one."**

Then Kintaros appeared in his translucent form and asked **, "Oi, Kame no ji. Let me take over."**

 **"Hai, I'm not going up against her."** Urataros said before jumping out of my body, only for Kintaros to take over.

Kintaros cracked his neck and said **, "You're all gonna cry!"**

Nora smiled happily as she said, "Kintaros! I always wanted to fight you!"

Kintaros crouched into a sumo position as he said **, "Come at me!"** Nora complied as she charged straight in and swung down vertically, but Kintaros caught it with one hand. He smirked as he threw her back. **"Not bad, but you don't have the strength to match me!"** Kintaros bragged. Then I see Nora drinking two cans of soda before zipping around Kintaros. She was moving at astounding speed since all I see is a pink tornado surrounding us. Then in one strike, she sent us flying through the roof and into the air!

* * *

 _Momotaros, Urataros, and Ryutaros all watched in shock as Momotaros said_ _ **, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, KUMA?!"**_

 _Ryutaros jumps onto Momotaros and said while slapping Momotaros on the head_ _ **, "I haven't even done anything!"**_

 **"** _ **It's over… I didn't get my catch of the day…"**_ _Urataros said gloomily._

 _Momotaros pushed Ryutaros off and shouted_ _ **, "GO BACK TO THE MOUNTAINS, YOU IDIOT!"**_

* * *

Kintaros and I flew through the air as we waited to reach back down to the ground. 'Kintaros, great job by the way.' I said sarcastically.

 **"I'm sorry, Kurokuu-dono. I should've been more careful."** Kintaros apologized.

'No, it's fine. I'm just really exhausted right now.'

 **"Well, I should get back."**

'You go right on ahead. I'll just wait until I get back down.' And with that, Kintaros jumped out of my body, leaving me by my lonesome. I waited quietly until I see Yang falling down next to me. "Yang!" I said with a surprised tone.

"Kurokuu, you're here too?" Yang asked.

"Yeah, Kintaros was going against Nora until she launched us up here." I answered.

"Oh, I see." Yang said. "How long do you think we'll get down?"

"I don't know, a few more seconds?" I was stand corrected as I see the roof of the cafeteria. "And, we're about to land." Yang sighed as she wrapped her arms around me. "Yang? What're you doing?!" I asked with a blush on my face.

"Hold on!" Yang shouted as she turned her back towards the roof. Then we crashed through the roof and back into the cafeteria. We both got up and saw who clean the cafeteria is. I also Professor Ozpin, Professor Goodwitch, Mai, Shuichi, and Deneb staring at us. Yang gave them a thumbs up while I stretched my back.

"Kurokuu, are you okay?!" Weiss asked in a worried tone.

"I'm fine. Yang used herself as a cushion to protect me from the fall." I said to Weiss. "Thanks, Yang!" I said gratefully.

"No problem." Yang said as she slapped my back. We all starting laughing at the all the fun we just had, even though we smell like soda and fish. As Professor Goodwitch and Ozpin left, we all see Sun and another guy standing at the door.

"Hey, Sun! What'sup? It's been a while." I shouted.

They walked towards us as Sun said, "Nothing much, we just wanted to know if you guys wanted to go out and eat tonight? Oh and by the way, my friend here is Neptune!"

"Sup." The friend, now named Neptune said.

From that moment, we could all tell what kind of person he is. "Great, another Urataros. Just what we needed." Weiss said as she picked the food out of her hair.

"Hey, Neptune. I'm Kurokuu Akarui." I introduced.

"I'm Ruby!" Ruby introduced excitedly.

"My name is Weiss Schnee." Weiss formerly introduced.

"Blake." Blake simply said.

"The name's, Yang!" Yang said as she massages her shoulders.

"I'm Jaune." Jaune said.

"Nora!" Nora said excitedly as she wrapped her arm around Jaune's neck.

"Hello, I'm Pyrrha Nikos." Pyrrha said with a wave

"And I'm Lie Ren, but please, call me Ren." Ren said before bowing.

"I'm Mai." Mai said while bowing.

"Shuichi Nakamura." Shuichi said with a small finger salute.

" **And I'm Deneb, I'm glad we got to know each other! Here, have some of my candy!"** Deneb said excitedly as he gave Sun and Neptune some candy.

"Thanks...I guess. Anyways, you guys in or not?" Sun asked.

"Sounds great!" Ruby said. "Let us get cleaned up and changed first."

"You guys can have your fun, but I'm going back to the Zero-Liner. I'm done with all of this." Shuichi said exhaustedly before exiting the cafeteria.

"I would like to go to, but I have to get my textbook and start studying for tomorrow. Have fun, everyone!" Mai said before running off.

"Okay, shall we get cleaned up?" Ren asked.

"Yeah, I smell like soda and fish." I said.

Everyone starting sniffing themselves as they smelled the foul scent of all the food and drinks mixed in one. "Yeah, I think we should get going." Weiss said as we all dashed to our dorms.

* * *

 _Meanwhile on the Den-Liner, Mai is firing arrows at Momotaros, Urataros, and Kintaros. Momotaros has an arrow in his butt, Urataros has an arrow in his chest, and Kintaros has an arrow in his shoulder. They sat quietly as Mai said, "So, are you gonna try to escape again?!"_

 _ **"No, Mai."** The taros said._

 _"And will you remember what happen if you do this again?"_

 ** _"Yes, Mai."_** _The taros said without making eye contact._

 _"Good." Mai said before sitting back down and studying._

 _Ryutaros laughed at them and said **, "Ha! Ha! Old man, Kame-chan, and Kuma-chan got shot by arrows! HA! HA!"**_

 _Momotaros, Urataros, and Kintaros smacked Ryutaros in the face as Momotaros said **, "Shut up, you brat!"**_

* * *

After we cleaned up and changed out of our beacon uniform for our battle uniform, we looked around for a bit until we arrived at a steakhouse. All the girls sat on one table while we sat at a different one. A waiter came by and we gave her our orders. But before she left, Neptune gave her a small wink, causing her to giggle.

"Works every time." Neptune said.

"Geez, doesn't that get old?" Sun asked.

Neptune looked surprised by Sun's question and asked, "Hey, the opportunity to talk to some beautiful ladies is slim to none. So you gotta have the looks and skills to reel them in."

"Wow, you sound exactly like someone else I know." I said while thinking about Urataros.

"Anyways, thanks for saving me back at the docks. Whoever knew monsters other than Grimms existed." Sun said.

"Yeah, it's a long story."

"Well, tell us. If these things are gonna become a daily occurrence then we gotta know something about them." Sun said. From there, I told him about the Imagins and their goals, who I am, and what I do. And I also told them some adventures that I went on with Team RWBY and JNPR. "Woah, that sounds awesome!" Sun said.

"No, it's not. Dealing with Imagins is a hassle, but I'm just doing what I can to protect everyone I care about."

"I remember the first time we learned about the Imagins." Ren said. "It happened during lunch when Kurokuu was possessed by his own imagin and he tried to punch Jaune. Then Jaune got possessed and they both fought each other in the Emerald Forest."

"You had an imagin?" Sun asked Jaune.

"Yeah, but he's different than the rest. He saved me and my father from an imagin attack." Jaune said with a smile on his face. "If it weren't for him,my father wouldn't have let me go to Beacon on my own."

"But, he's safe now. I had him possess me so he wouldn't die. And from there, he trained me." I said.

Then the waiter came by and gave us our meal. Before she left, she gave Neptune a napkin with her number on it with the message "Call me."

"Look at that, I got her number." Neptune said.

"What're you gonna do with it? Put it in a box with the others?" Sun asked while eating a piece of steak.

"Of course not, all girls need the attention so I'm gonna give her some." Neptune said before putting the napkin in his pocket. As we ate, we talked about our experiences of being a huntsman. We had a few laughs here and there from Sun when he told us about Neptune not being able to swim when they were on a mission in Menagerie.

As I finished my meal, I looked over towards the girls table and saw Weiss laughing along with her team. Man, she's changed so much from her mean, cold hearted, self. And her she is now, surrounded by so many people that care about her. I smiled for a bit until I felt Sun's tail tapping my shoulder. "What? What is it?" I asked while snapping out of my trance.

Sun, Ren, and Neptune looked at me as Sun said, "Dude, we called you like four times."

"Sorry, I wasn't focused. What is it that you asked me?"

"I asked if you what you're first day at Beacon was like." Sun said.

"Well, Weiss and I went to Beacon together at the same time and once we were there, she started making a bunch of frenemies and I had to help her be more nicer. And during initiation, I got knocked out and my imagin took over my body. They basically helped me pass the test."

Neptune stared at me with one eye as he asked, "What's the relation between you and Weiss anyways?"

"Well, she was the first friend I made before Beacon. I don't usually go out much since all I do is work at my sister's cafe. I remember the first time I saw her, I thought she was like what everyone else thought about her, a spoiled, rich girl. But, when I learned about her past, I could understand the feeling of emptiness. The fear of being alone, never having a complete family, it scares me. I didn't want her to feel that way so I became her first friend."

"Sounds like you care for her."

"Yeah I do. She's been there for me at my lowest and I could never repay her for that." I said before sipping my drink.

Neptune smirked and asked, "Do you like Weiss?"

My eyes widen in surprise as I accidentally spat my drink out at Jaune. I laughed nervously as Ren helped clean Jaune up. "Guys! I-I care for Weiss and all, but like-like her? No, i-it's not like that!"

Ren joined in as he said, "I don't know, Kurokuu. Your words says one thing, but your face says another."

"Ren, you too?!" I said with embarrassment.

Sun patted me in the back with a tail as Neptune said, "Hey man, there's nothing wrong in liking Weiss. Besides, you could ask her to the dance coming up soon."

"Dance?"

"Yeah, the dance. You should totally ask Weiss out." Sun said.

Jaune seemed to agree to as he admitted, "Yeah, man. I think Weiss would enjoy going out with you more than me."

"Guys, please! Can we just stop this please?!" I asked, desperately wanting this to end.

Then my savior came in as Ruby said, "Hey, guys. Ready to leave? We gotta get back to Beacon!"

"Yes, that sounds like a great idea!" I said as I ran out the door first.

Team RWBY, JNPR, and I stood across from Sun and Neptune as Ruby said, "Well, it was fun meeting you guys. Take care!" And with that, we went our separate ways. Finally, the tormenting is over. But, I couldn't help but think about what Neptune and Sun said. Do I really like Weiss? I could feel my heart beating faster as I stared at Weiss. No, no, we're just friends. That's all. Right?

* * *

 _As Team RWBY, JNPR, and Kurokuu walked away from Sun and Neptune. Neptune has a grin on his face and said, "It's obvious, Kurokuu likes Weiss."_

" _What? You're now a certified love doctor?" Sun said as he puts his hands behind his head._

" _It takes no love doctor to see it. But, Kurokuu seems to be in denial about it. And I say as his fellow certified love doctor, we need to help him open up! You know what I'm thinking?"_

" _Have him ask Weiss out to the dance?!" Sun guessed._

" _Yep, right you are! Now, all we need is a plan and more people." Neptune said in a comedic evil tone._

* * *

 _Night time occurred as Mercury and Emerald walked towards Roman's warehouse. They open the warehouse and see the White Fang moving some crates around. And sitting in the middle is Gaoh eating silently. Gaoh chugged a sake bottle down an said, "Well, if it isn't Cinder's cronies. I assume you finished cleaning up the mess Roman made?" Mercury and Emerald looked nervous as they couldn't get a word out. Gaoh looked more ticked off as he stood up and drop the glass bottle on the ground. "So, did you finish the job or not? It's a simple yes or no question." Gaoh said threateningly as he walked up to them slowly._

 _Emerald cleared her throat and said, "Um...the...target escaped."_

 _Gaoh nodded as he took off his right glove and said, "Pathetic, you couldn't finish a simple job." Emerald and Mercury shivered in fear as he raised his hands in the air._

 _He was ready to strike until Cinder's footsteps stopped him. "Gaoh, what do you think you're doing?" She asked as she walked towards him._

" _Cinder!" Emerald said in relief._

" _I was getting a little hungry. And I suppose that they could both be punished for not being able to finish their jobs."_

" _I see. But wasn't it your job to kill him?" Cinder asked as she places her hand on his face._

" _I would. But I have to move all of the crates and dust to Mount. Glenn. So you'd understand how busy I've been."_

" _If you call sitting your ass and eating all day 'busy.'" Mercury said._

 _Emerald's eyes widen as Gaoh said, "What did you say boy?" Then Gaoh quickly pulled out his sword and did a vertical strike on Mercury. Mercury couldn't react in time and all he could do it was cower, but the sounds of two blades clashing made him look back up._

 _Mercury and Emerald saw Cinder blocking Gaoh's attack. Cinder and Gaoh stared at each other until they both pulled away. "Gaoh, if you lay a finger on my colleagues, I will deliver you a pain worse than death." Cinder threatened._

 _Gaoh took a deep breath and said, "Yes, Ms. Fall."_

" _Good." Cinder said before turning around. "Emerald. Did I not specifically instruct you both to keep your hands clean while in Vale?"_

 _Emerald looked at Cinder and said, "I just thought…"_

" _Don't think...obey."_

" _Yes ma'am. It won't happen again." Emerald apologized._

 _Cinder walked towards the warehouse door and said, "We are initiating phase two. Gaoh, I hope you know your part."_

" _Yes, I know. I have my plans and you commence yours." Gaoh said._

" _Good, I must getting going. I need have a talk with the Queen and King." Cinder said before leaving._

 _Just as Cinder leaves, Gaoh starting looking weak. He fell on one knee before standing back up. Gaoh looks at a random White Fang grunt and said, "You come here."_

 _The White Fang grunt complied as he walked towards Gaoh and asked, "Yes, sir?"_

" _I'm hungry." Gaoh said as he lifts his right hand._

" _Oh, we should have some-GAH!" He was interrupted by Gaoh as he begins choking him out. The White Fang grunt's aura glowed brightly as his aura is seen visibly depleting. The grunt's aura transferred through Gaoh as his aura glowed bright orange. Then in one motion, he snapped the grunt's neck. His body dropped on the floor, causing Emerald and Mercury to back away._

" _Disgusting. But it'll do." Gaoh said. "Someone clean this up." As Gaoh walked off, Emerald and Mercury stared at the grunt, fearing what Gaoh could do._

* * *

(A/N:) Hey! I'm sorry that this chapter was a little shorter than usual, but I just wrote what I thought was necessary. The food fight scene was probably the most fun I had when I was writing this chapter. I would just act it out in my room and see how it would work. I know, I'm childish.

Anyways, leave a review on what you thought about this chapter. And I'll see you all next time. Bye!


	15. Chapter 15: Den-O vs Zeronos

(A/N:) Hey, everyone! Welcome back to another chapter of Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time. I hope you all enjoyed reading the last chapter as much as I did writing it. This chapter took a while since I had some writer's block and I was kinda procrastinating. Damn you, Kamen Rider Amazons. Why must you make me binge watch two seasons in two days?! Why must your show be so good?! Anyways, leave a review on what you thought about this chapter and I hope you enjoy!

 **DragonWarrior74** **:** Thanks! I had a lot of fun writing last chapter. I wasn't sure about how I want to portray Gaoh since in the movie, he didn't show much in terms of character. But, I tried my best to portray him like the moves while still adding more character to him.

 **Wyvernsaurus:** Personally, the "who ask who out to the dance" won't change much outside of Kurokuu and Weiss since either most of them go stag or they paired up with someone that isn't Weiss.

I do not I own the rights to the series RWBY or Kamen Rider. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth Productions and The Kamen Rider Series is owned by Toei Company

"Normal Speech"

'Thoughts/Inner communication between OC and imagin'

 _"Third Person/Flashback"_

 **"Imagin speech"**

* * *

 _It is a quiet evening at Beacon Academy as all the students settled in for the night. And in the dorm of Team MSKD, which is technically Kurokuu's dorm, Kurokuu is seen sleeping soundly. But then, the closet door opens, revealing the Sands of Time on the other side. The wind blew sand in the room as a small nevermore entered the room, crying loudly. The nevermore landed on Kurokuu's chest as it was ready to peck him. But, it didn't have time to do so as Deneb entered the room and tried to capture it. The nevermore saw this and quickly flew around the room, avoiding Deneb._

" _ **Hey! Get back here!"**_ _Deneb whispered loudly as he chased the nevermore around the room._

 _The chase was cut short as an arrow pierced through the nevermore's chest and into the wall. Deneb looked back and saw Shuichi entering the dorm as well. "Deneb, it's not that hard to kill one." Shuichi said as he yanked the arrow out of the wall._

" _ **Well, I don't want to disturb Kurokuu when he's sleeping."**_ _Deneb said as he looks around the room cautiously._

 _Shuichi walked up to Kurokuu and shook him. "Hey, Kurokuu. Wake up." Shuichi whispered._

 _Kurokuu didn't seem to wake up as he mumbled, "Pancakes..."_

 _Shuichi sighed and said, "Yep, he ain't waking up. Deneb, carry him. We need him for the climax."_

" _ **Hai."**_ _Deneb said as he tossed Kurokuu over his shoulder._

" _Where are we going…?" Kurokuu mumbled in his sleep._

" _We're going somewhere special." Shuichi replied as he and Deneb entered back inside the Sands of Time._

* * *

I slowly sat up from my slumber before stretching my body out. I took a deep breath and stood on my feet. But, instead of the soft carpet floor, I felt a grass and rocks beneath my feet. What the? What happened to the floor? I rubbed my eyes and opened them as I was greeted with a giant nevermore flying through the sky! "EHHHHHHH!" I yelled loudly as I realized that I'm in some sort of island with Grimms inhabiting every corner. I stood in shock as I stared at a Goliath herd bathing in the river. Then I heard footsteps coming from behind, which causes me to turn around and see Shuichi standing behind me.

"I'll explain later." Shuichi said as he stood in front of me.

"Wait, explain what?" My question was pushed aside as Shuichi smiled and sprayed something in my face. As I sniffed it, I realized what he used on me. It was knockout gas. My vision slowly became blurry as I fell on my back. As my vision slowly fade out, I see Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros standing side by side, with a full body.

Urataros slowly walked up to me and said **, "Sorry about this."** I couldn't stay conscious any longer as the last thing I felt was Urataros possessing my body.

* * *

 **Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time**

 **Chapter 15: Den-O vs Zeronos**

* * *

"Hey, Kurokuu. Are you awake?" I snapped awake at the sound of Weiss' voice as I realized that I was in the cafeteria, sitting with Team RWBY and Mai.

"Huh, what?" I mumbled as I rubbed my eyes tiredly.

"Are you okay, Kurokuu? You been sleeping ever since we got lunch. Did you get any sleep?"

"I thought I did. But then I had this weird dream and when I woke up, I was dead tired and sore everywhere."

"Man, that sucks. If I didn't get my beauty sleep, I'd probably go crazy." Yang said sympathetically.

Main stared at me until she asked, "What was the dream about?"

I slowly reminisce about the dream and said, "Well, I was on this island or something like that, filled with Grimms! And then Shuichi came out of nowhere and sprayed knockout gas in my face. And before I fell unconscious, I saw Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros all standing in front of me with a whole body. Then, Urataros possessed me and that's it." I noticed the analytical expression in her face as I asked, "Mai, is something wrong?"

"Oh, it's probably nothing. Anyways, did Shuichi say anything during his time here? He hasn't spoken to me at all."

"Nope, not much." I replied. I saw the disappointed look on her face as I asked, "Mai, is it about your future?"

"Yeah, I wanted to know what he knows as much as you do. But, he's not talking to any of us."

"Well, why not try asking Deneb? I'm sure he won't mind answering some questions." Ruby suggested.

"Doesn't sound like a bad idea, but I don't see him walking around anywhere. Most likely because of all the students staring at him."

"Well, it's not everyday you see an imagin walking around the school. I mean the last time that happened, he destroyed half the cafeteria." Yang said as she took a sip of orange juice.

Ruby stood on the bench and raised her fist in the air and said excitedly, "Well, the only way now is to help him open up to us!"

Ruby looked pumped and ready until the bell rang, signaling us to get to our next period. "Well, there goes the bell. Combat class time." Blake said as she stood up and left.

"Man, I was ready too…" Weiss patted Ruby's shoulder sympathetically before Ruby hopped off the bench and walked along with her team.

I rubbed my eyes once more as we all rose from our seats and walked towards the amphitheater. I noticed Mai wasn't moving as I asked, "Hey, Mai! You coming?"

"Yeah, hold up!" Mai said as she tossed her unfinished lunch in the trash and walked along with me to combat class.

* * *

 _Meanwhile in the main avenue, a student is seen laying beside the Beacon Statue. The student has a fair complexion with green eyes and messy brown hair. He is seen wearing a black beanie, a red bomber jacket, a white shirt, blue jeans, and brown hiking boots._

 _The student snickers to himself as he said, "Yes, freedom!" He stretches his arms out. He look up in the sky and said to himself, "What a nice day, today. Well, why not spend the day sleeping under this beautiful weather?"_

 _He yawns loudly before wiping the tears in his eyes. The student slowly closed his eyes as he slowly drifts into his slumber. As he sleeps, a yellow orb floats around him before jumping in his body, causing sand to seep through his clothes. The sand formed into some type of tortoise imagin as he said_ _ **, "Tell me your wish. I'll grant that wish. But you'll need to pay me back with one thing."**_ _He waited for the student's response, but all he got were loud snores._ " _ **Oi, tell me your wish."**_

 _The student turned away from him as he mumbled, "This damn academy, so hard. If only I had passed all my classes, I won't have to be in this hellhole."_

" _ **I see...You want to pass. Your contract has been heard."**_ _The tortoise imagin said as he gained his physical body. The tortoise imagin played with his fingers sinisterly as he slowly makes his way to the classrooms._

* * *

I sat quietly with Mai as we watched Weiss and Blake square off with two other students. Professor Goodwitch decided that today would be a great day to have a tag-team practice since she said that in the Vytal festival, there would be a doubles round. And we also need to work together as a team. If only it was that simple with Shuichi. I looked around the room and saw Shuichi sitting on the above us with Deneb, who's wearing a dust mask and gloves to cover himself up. As I stared at him, I still wonder about him. Like why he's here and what he could possibly know about Nakamura. I saw him stare back at me, causing me to break eye contact.

I redirected my attention back to the fight as I see Blake charging straight towards a student who wields two tomahawks. The student threw one at her, but Blake created a shadow of herself to take the hit, allowing her to get in closer and unleash a series of slashes on him. As Blake kicked the student back, Weiss jumped on her shoulder to boost herself. The other student, who wields two pistols, fired at Weiss, but Blake did suppressing fire to keep the student at bay. Glyphs appear below Weiss' feet as it launched her towards the student. The student stared at her with wide eyes as Weiss thrusts her sword into his stomach, pushing him back.

The two students groan in pain as the bell rung, signalling the end of the match. Professor Goodwitch walked in the middle of the arena and said, "Excellent work, Team RWBY. Team BERI (Berry), on the other hand, you're teamwork is severely lacking. If you want to make it to the singles round, you need to work as a team." The two students nodded as they walked back to the locker rooms. "Great job, Miss. Schnee, Miss. Belladonna. You may both return back to your teams."

As they make their way towards the locker room, I cheered along with Ruby and Yang, "Good job, Weiss! Blake!" Weiss turned around and waved awkwardly before heading inside.

Professor Goodwitch cleared her throat and said, "Well, we have one more doubles match to do before we move on. May I get Shuichi Nakamura and Kurokuu Akarui of Team MSKD? And may I also get Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos of Team JNPR?"

I sighed as I stood up and walked towards the arena. I met with Shuichi in the middle as he said, "Alright Kurokuu, try not to slow me down. Got it?" I nodded silently. "Good. I'll take Nikos and you keep Arc at bay."

Then Pyrrha and Jaune came out with their weapons in hands as Pyrrha said, "I hope we have an excellent duel!"

Shuichi smirked and said, "Me too. Try not to hold back, I can handle it."

Jaune looked at me nervously and said, "Let's have a good fight."

I summoned the Ryuvolver and replied, "Same here."

Professor Goodwitch displayed our aura meter on the screen as she said, "You know the rules. Fight ends until the entire team is out of bounds or their aura is low. Understood?" We all nodded as Professor Goodwitch said, "Begin!"

* * *

 _Meanwhile on the Den-Liner, the dining car is a complete mess. The floor and tables are covered with drawings upon drawings. Momotaros sat quietly, sipping his cup of coffee. He growled silently as he asked Ryutaros_ _ **, "Oi, Brat. Can't you clean up for once?!"**_

 _Urataros played with his toy fishing rod and said_ _ **, "I think that's the least of our worries, right now."**_ _Then he picked up one of the drawings and passed it to Momotaros. He flipped the paper over, revealing a picture of Ryutaros shooting Shuichi's head off._

 _Momotaros crumpled up the paper and said_ _ **, "Man, this kid has issues."**_

 _Ryutaros saw what Momotaros was doing and yelled loudly_ _ **, "OI, WHAT'RE ARE YOU DOING, YOU IDIOT!"**_ _He snatched the drawing away from Momotaros._

" _ **Hey! You don't call your elders an idiot!"**_ _Momotaros lectured._

" _ **An idiot is an idiot! Right?!"**_ _Ryutaros snapped as he threw Momotaros' cup of coffee at the wall. Momotaros was ready to snap until he sighed and gave up. Ryutaros quickly calmed down and skipped towards Urataros._ " _ **Oi, Kame-chan! Shuichi Nakamura is Onee-chan's fiance, right?"**_

" _ **Which Shuichi?"**_ _Urataros asked._

" _ **Either of them! A fiance means to get married, right?"**_

" _ **I wonder? There are those who break their promises."**_

 _Ryutaros looked confused as he didn't understand what Urataros means. He lightly pushes Urataros aside and said_ _ **, "Forget it."**_ _Ryutaros then skips over to the sleeping Kintaros._ " _ **Oi, Kuma-chan! Kuma-chan, Kuma-chan! A fiance means to get married, right?"**_

 _Kintaros stood up and looked at Urataros and said_ _ **,**_ " _ **Kuma-chan? Did you…?"**_ _Urataros shook his hands no, indicating him to not say anything._ " _ **Well, you...ZZZ…"**_ _Kintaros couldn't finish his sentence as he pretended to fall asleep halfway through._

" _ **Oi! Don't fall asleep while I'm asking!"**_ _Ryutaros shouted as he tried shaking Kintaros awake._

" _ **Maybe, you can't hear him."**_ _Momotaros said._

 _Ryutaros stopped shaking Kintaros as he walked towards Momotaros and said_ _ **, "Shut up, Momotaros. Be quiet."**_ _He stared at him for a bit until he said_ _ **, "Oi, Kame-chan! Kame-chan!"**_

" _ **Oi! You add -chan to the turtle and bear, but you have no honorific for me?!"**_

" _Well, Momotaros isn't an animal." Naomi answered, which made Momotaros more angry._

 _Ryutaros then rushes over to Kintaros again and tried to wake him up._ " _ **Kuma-chan! Kuma-chan! Wake up! Oi!"**_

 _Ryutaros shook Kintaros over and over again until he finally woke up. Kintaros groaned and shouted_ _ **, "You sure are noisy! Is marrying not alright?!"**_ _Kintaros headbutted Ryutaros to get him to let go of his arm._

 _Ryutaros lets go of Kintaro's arms to rub his forehead. As he does so, Ryutaros said_ _ **, "It's no good. It'd be better if Onee-chan hated him."**_

 _As Ryutaros turns away from Kintaros, Kintaros sighed and said_ _ **, "Are you stupid?! To marry means that they love each other very much!"**_

 _Ryutaros stood still as he turns around and asked_ _ **, "Then...Onee-chan loves him? Why does she love him?"**_

 _Kintaros ponders for a bit and replied_ _ **, "Women like men because they have strong bodies."**_ _Momotaros and Urataros stood in shock at what Kintaros said to Ryutaros._

 _Ryutaros comprehends what Kintaros said as he said_ _ **, "He's strong…? That's why she likes him. I think I do hate him!"**_ _Filled with anger, Ryutaros began ripping up his drawings._

 _Momotaros crossed over to Kintaros' table and whispered_ _ **, "Oi, Kuma-chan! Kuma!"**_

" _ **What? You want something with me?"**_ _Kintaros asked as he leaned towards Momotaros._

 _Momotaros slaps him on the head and said_ _ **, "You idiot! You said something bad!"**_

" _ **Don't hit me!"**_

* * *

"Begin!" I hear Professor Goodwitch shout as the fight begins. Shuichi charges in towards Pyrrha while I laid fire on Jaune. Jaune quickly used his shield to block the bullets, but I used this advantage and closed the distance between us. Once I got at a close distance, I sweep kicked Jaune, causing him to fall on his back. I switched out the Ryuvolver, in favor for the Kintaros Axe, and began swing the axe against his shield to keep him down. I kept him at bay until my axe glowed black and swung in a different direction, allowing Jaune to get up and push me back.

Knowing who did that, I looked towards Shuichi and saw that he and Pyrrha were neck and neck with each other. I focused my attention back on Jaune as he charged in with a vertical sword strike. I sidestepped out of the way and planted my foot on the sword, keeping it in place. But Jaune quickly retaliated and whacked me in the face with his shield. I stumbled back a little, but Jaune quickly charged in and slashed me across the chest. I quickly summoned the Momotarosword and blocked his incoming vertical strike. Our sword grinded against each other until Jaune whacked me on the side with his shield. He was gonna go in for another vertical strike, but I blocked the attack and sidestepped to the left. This left him wide open as I kicked him on the side, pushing him back away from me.

Jaune stumbled back, but he quickly recovered and charged towards me. I kept my sword up as I tried to do something I haven't tried. Okay, you can do it. You've been training, let's put it to use. Time seemed to slow down around me as I tried to connect with Ryutaros' aura. I could feel the heaviness on my shoulders as sweat poured on my face. Then the pain in my chest kicked in as I kept on trying. It seemed like it wouldn't work until I finally felt something, Ryutaros' aura. It was warm, not hot like Momotaros or cool like Urataros. I took a deep breath as I tried to tap into his aura.

I could slowly feel the Ryuvolver materializing in my hands. I looked up and saw Jaune striking downwards, but I quickly block the attack with the Momotarosword. Then, I felt the handle form around my hand as I took the chance and pointed the Ryuvolver at Jaune's stomach. I smirked as the Ryuvolver has completely materialized. I saw the shocked expression on Jaune's face before I fired point blank at Jaune, completely decimating his aura to red.

"Jaune Arc is out of the match!" I hear Professor Goodwitch shout as Jaune fell back, completely tired and injured. The Ryuvolver quickly disappeared as I used the Momotarosword as a cane. "Heh, I did it." I muttered under my breath. "I finally managed to summon two weapons at once." I looked over to the screen and saw that my aura was near red. Well, that took a lot out of me. I looked over to Shuichi and Pyrrha, who were still neck and neck with each other. I should help Shuichi out, maybe with suppressing fire. I quickly switched out the Momotarosword with the Ryuvolver as I pointed the gun at Pyrrha, who was pinning Shuichi down with her spear.

I aimed the weapon and was ready to pull the trigger until I felt a sharp pain in my chest again. I cringed from the pain as I fell on my knees and clutched my chest. I hear murmuring around me as they slowly sounded more muffled. But, the one voice I hear is Ryutaros growling. "Ryutaros...What're you doing?" I asked him.

I heard him growl angrily as he said **, 'I...hate...SHUICHI!'** Then, I started feeling lightheaded as I fell on my back. I hear people gasping as tunnel vision kicked in. And last but not least, I felt Ryutaros jump in my body. I still felt weak from summoning two weapons at once as I was completely helpless from Ryutaros. I couldn't stay awake any longer as I slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

 _Team RWBY, (J)N(P)R, and M(S)(K)D all watched the fight play out. They all watched as Jaune shield smacked Kurokuu in the face. "GO JAUNE!" Ruby and Nora shouted._

" _He's certainly improved." Mai said._

" _Kurokuu as well." Ren replied._

 _Weiss stood up from her seat and shouted, "YOU CAN DO IT, KUROKUU!"_

 _Yang smirked and said, "I see you're supporting your boyfriend."_

" _Excuse me?! He's not my boyfriend! Can't I be supportive of someone?"_

" _Yeah, sure." Yang said as they continued watching the fight. They shift their attention away from Jaune and Kurokuu and onto Pyrrha and Shuichi. "Dang, P-Money is having a hard time dealing with Shuichi." Yang commented._

" _Well, he's much more experienced than any of us." Blake said as she set her book down. Pyrrha kicks Shuichi back and throws her spear at him, but he quickly retraced closer to her and slashed her across the chest._

" _That retrace ability is very dangerous." Ren commented. "If he's strategic enough on where stood before and when to use it, he can take people out by surprise."_

" _ **Yes, but he does have a flaw. People can interrupt his retrace ability."**_ _Deneb said._

" _How?" Ruby asked._

" _ **If the attacker is in the right position, he or she could attack him during his retrace when he gets from one position to another."**_

" _Right." Ren said. "It's not like teleporting. Since he follows his movements in reverse during his retrace, making him open for anyone to attack him." Pyrrha seemed to catch on with Shuichi's semblance as she fired some rounds at him, causing him to retrace back. But during his retrace, Pyrrha rolled to the side and fired at Shuichi while he's retracing, disrupting his ability._

" _Yep, Pyrrha found a way around it." Weiss noted. They focus their attention back on Kurokuu and Jaune as he kicks Jaune back, giving him some distance. But instead of fighting back, he decided to go for a defensive tactic._

 _Blake analyzed the fight and asked everyone, "Hey, what's Kurokuu doing?"_

" _Whatever he's doing, it's gonna get him eliminated!" Weiss shouted. "Kurokuu, move out of the way, you dunce!"_

 _They watched intensely as Jaune got closer and closer to Kurokuu. Then, in an instant, he blocked the attack with his Momotarosword and summoned a Ryuvolver in his other hand. He pointed the gun at Jaune and fired point blank at his stomach, depleting his aura down to red._

" _Jaune Arc is out of the match!" Professor Goodwitch called out._

 _They stood in shock at the sudden move Kurokuu pulled off. Ruby and Nora stood up from their seats and shouted, "That..was...AWESOME!"_

" _Strange, this is the first time I've seen him use two weapons at once. Usually, he would discard his weapon before summoning another one to take its place." Ren commented._

 _Mai replied with, "It's one of the perks that a singular point has. They could use the weapons of their imagin by linking their aura together. With enough practice, they could wield more than one. And it looks like Kurokuu managed to pull it off."_

 _Yang cheered, "Good job, Kurokuu! If you survive, you get a free kiss from Ice Queen!"_

" _Hey!" Weiss shouted before focusing back on the fight. She then started feeling worried as she sees Kurokuu leaning against his sword. Weiss looked at the screen and saw how much aura he has left. "Kurokuu's aura is almost gone!"_

" _He must've used up too much aura when he tried wielding two weapons." Mai said as they see Kurokuu getting up until he suddenly stopped moving._

 _They all stared at Kurokuu as he fell on his knees and clutched his chest in pain. "Kurokuu!" Weiss shouted._

" _Mai, what's wrong with him?!" Ruby asked as she began panicking._

" _I don't know…" Mai replied as she watched. Kurokuu then fell on his back as he closed his eyes. His aura changed from white to purple as his aura meter changed from red to green. Mai realized what was happening. Mai stood up and said, "Kurokuu's possessed!"_

" _ **What?! By who?!"**_ _Deneb asked._

" _It's Ryutaros! We have to stop him from going on a rampage!" Mai shouted as she jumped down towards the arena, along with Team RWBY, Nora, Ren, and Deneb. "Shuichi! Pyrrha! Stop Ryutaros!"_

 _Shuichi and Pyrrha stopped fighting and looked towards the possessed Kurokuu as he stood up and fired the Ryuvolver at them. Pyrrha and Shuichi rolled out of the way before helping Jaune up. They regrouped with Mai and the others as Ryutaros asked_ _ **, "Hey, are you stronger than me? You're strong, that's why Onee-chan likes you, right?"**_

" _What the hell are you saying?" Shuichi asked in an annoyed tone._

 _Mai pulled out and arrow from her quiver and said, "Ryutaros, what're you doing? Get out of Kurokuu and go back to the Den-Liner!"_

 _Everyone readied their weapons as he said_ _ **, "No way! Not until I beat Shuichi and become stronger! Okay?"**_

 _Ruby had Crescent Rose in its Scythe form as she said, "Well, it's ten on one. You can't stop all of us!"_

 _Right when she said that, Ryutaros snapped his fingers. Suddenly, the students and Professor Goodwitch were under Ryutaros' control as they all gathered around him. Ryutaros pointed at Mai and everyone else and said_ _ **, "Deal with them, Shuichi's mine."**_ _They all complied as they all charged straight at them._

 _Team RWBY, JNPR, and M(S)(K)D were swarmed as they defended themselves from the hypnotized students and Professor Goodwitch. Mai pushed them back and said to everyone, "Guys, try to not to harm them!"_

 _As they dealt with the swarm of students, Shuichi and Ryutaros stood face to face with each other. Ryutaros danced around and wrapped the Den-O belt around him and said_ _ **, "Ready to fight?"**_ _Shuichi looked around for an exit before going towards the locker room._ " _ **Why are you running? Strong people don't run!"**_ _Ryutaros then press the purple button as it played a hip-hop tune._ " _ **Henshin!"**_ _He swiped the pass over the belt as it called out._

 _ **GUN FORM**_

 _The armor materialized as the armor pieces and faceplate attach with it. He quickly assembles Den-Gasher in its gun mode as he fired at Shuichi._ " _ **Come back and fight me!"**_ _Ryutaros said as he skipped towards the lockers._

 _Mai and everyone else fought off the horde of students. Mai's arms were glowing as she used her semblance to slow everyone down. She looked towards Deneb and said, "Deneb! Go help Shuichi! We'll catch up!"_

" _ **Roger!"**_ _Deneb said before rushing to Shuichi's aid._

 _Shuichi looked around the locker room until he found a vent above one of the lockers. He quickly climbed onto the lockers and used one of his arrows to pry it open. But just as he opens it, Ryutaros came in._ " _ **Why are you not transforming?"**_ _Ryutaros asked as he skipped towards him. Shuichi quickly went inside the vent and began crawling as fast as he could away from Ryutaros. He sees the open vent and aims inside._ " _ **Found you!"**_

 _Just as he was about to pull the trigger, Deneb grabbed Ryutaros from behind and threw him into the lockers._ " _ **Ryutaros, I'm gonna only ask you once. Please, stop this."**_ _Deneb asked._

" _ **Get out of my way!"**_ _Ryutaros shouted before firing at Deneb. He quickly rolled out of the way and tackled Ryutaros to the ground. Deneb tried to keep Ryutaros down, but he fired his gun, pushing the green imagin off of him. Ryutaros growled as he snapped his fingers. Then, out of nowhere, the Den-Bird came busting through the wall. Ryutaros hopped on and began chasing after Shuichi. Deneb growled silently before chasing after Ryutaros as fast as he could._

 _Shuichi breathed heavily as he crawled through the tight vents. Oil and dust were covering his body, causing him to sneeze uncontrollably. "Out of all the escape route I could've used, I just had to use this one." Shuichi said to himself as he sees an opening. He crawled towards it before turning his body around. He placed his feet at the vent opening and proceeded to kick it open. Shuichi growled as he kept on kicking it until it busted open. He moved towards the opening and slid out._

 _As Shuichi dusts himself off, he looked around, making sure that there was no sign of Ryutaros. But then, he heard a motorbike roaring as Ryutaros crashed through the wall. Ryutaros hopped off his bike and pointed his gun at Shuichi._ " _ **Are you done running? I really want to beat you."**_ _Ryutaros said._

" _Sorry, but I don't have time to waste with you." Shuichi said as he pulled out his weapon._

" _ **Alright, let's fight!"**_ _The fight commences as Ryutaros fired first, but Shuichi blocks a few of the bullets before rolling out of the way. Since they were fighting in the narrow hallways, this gives Ryutaros the advantage because of Shuichi's lack of space to move around in. As Ryutaros kept on firing, Shuichi ran across the wall and slashed Ryutaros on the chest. Ryutaros stumbled back as Shuichi kept on attacking, but Ryutaros performs a windmill and kicks Shuichi in the face._

 _Ryutaros then kicks Shuichi in the stomach before firing, but Shuichi pushed the gun away from him. Shuichi slashes Ryutaros' stomach before back kicking him to the ground. He was ready to stab Ryutaros until multiple footsteps caught his attention. He turned around and saw Mai with Team RWBY and JNPR. Deneb then appeared as he ran through the holes in the walls that Ryutaros made. "Shuichi, just transform! Ryutaros isn't gonna stop!" Mai shouted._

 _This gave Ryutaros enough time to recover as he kicks the sword away from his face and fired at Shuichi's chest. Luckily, his aura took the shot, but that didn't stop Ryutaros from sweep kicking Shuichi. Ryutaros pointed his gun at Shuichi, but he retraced back towards Mai and said, "I can't! The number of times that I transform is limited!"_

 _Shuichi then switched his sword into its crossbow form and hid behind the Den-Bird as cover. He fired a flashbang arrow at Ryutaros, blinding him._ " _ **Ah! You meanie!"**_ _Ryutaros said as he fired wildly. Everyone backed away from the gunfire, trying to avoid getting shot. However, Ryutaros accidently fired at the ceiling, causing it to crumble and fall towards Ruby._

 _Shuichi's eyes widen as he ran towards her and shouted, "LOOK OUT!"_

 _Ruby looked up and saw the debris falling towards her. Shuichi jumped in and pushed her out of the way just in time before retracing back towards Den-Bird. "Ruby!" Yang shouted, fearing that her younger sister got hurt._

 _Shuichi growled in pain as some debris fell on his foot. Ruby gasped and asked, "Shuichi, are you okay?!"_

 _He pushed the debris off himself and said, "I'm fine, Rubes. Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" Ruby nodded no. "Good, you're okay." Shuichi stood up and wrapped the Zeronos belt around his waist. He stabbed his weapon in the ground before pulling a card out of his card holder. He then slides a switch on top of the belt as sound of flutes were being played. Shuichi raises the card and shouts, "HENSHIN!" He slides the card in, forming an A in the front of the belt._

 _ **ALTAIR FORM**_

 _His armor materialized as pieces of green armor and a faceplate attach with it. Shuichi quickly assembles the pieces of the Zero-Gasher into its crossbow form and fired at Ryutaros. "Let me say this from the start, I am definitely stronger than you!" Shuichi said before charging straight towards Ryutaros while firing. Ryutaros stumbled back, but he quickly recovered and shot Shuichi. He then attempt to shoot Shuichi in the face, but he pushes the gun out of the way and fired his crossbow at Ryutaros' stomach._

 _Shuichi quickly reassembled his crossbow into a sword and slashed Ryutaros relentlessly before kicking him to the ground. Ryutaros quickly got on his knees and fired at Shuichi, but he rolled out of the way, creating a large hole in the wall that leads to the main avenue. Ryutaros smirks as he got up and tackled Shuichi through the large hole. As they fall towards the ground, Ryutaros pistol whips Shuichi in the face. But, he quickly retaliates by grabbing Ryutaros by the neck and punching him in the stomach. Shuichi then flips position, having Ryutaros take the full impact._

 _Ryutaros groaned in pain as he tried getting up, but Shuichi kept his foot on him. "Had enough?" Shuichi asked._

" _ **Not...yet…"**_ _Ryutaros said before snapping his fingers. Shuichi looked confused on why he did that until he heard the Den-Bird behind him. He quickly did a backflip, avoiding the motorbike from running him over. Ryutaros quickly got on and began riding around the main avenue._

 _Shuichi growled as he said, "You wanna fight on wheels, huh? Two can play at that game." As he said that, a motorbike is seen driving towards him. The design itself looks very similar to the Den-Bird with a few changes, such as the front having bullhorns and a large spoiler on the back. This bike is called the Machine Zero-Horn. Shuichi hopped on and began chasing after Ryutaros. He quickly changed the pieces around to form the crossbow as he aimed his weapon at Ryutaros. Ryutaros turned towards Shuichi as they both began firing at each other._

 _Ryutaros and Shuichi took each others shots as Shuichi got closer and closer. Ryutaros tried to blast his head off, but Shuichi dodges out of the way and shoots Ryutaros in the leg. He cries in pain, but he quickly retaliated by bumping into Shuichi's Machine Zero-Horn. Shuichi steered away from Ryutaros, trying to avoid falling over. Ryutaros turned his bike around and began revving it._

 _Shuichi stood in place as he said, "Damn, you just don't give up, do you?" Shuichi hopped off his bike and aimed the crossbow at Ryutaros._

 _As Shuichi does so, Mai and everyone else finally caught up with him. Weiss ran forward and shouted, "Kurokuu, wake up! You have to stop him! Don't let him take control! Please, wake up!"_

* * *

I slowly open my eyes as I felt this same heaviness from before. What happened to me? I reminisce the moments before I blacked out. Ryutaros, he...possessed me again. The dark void around me shattered, allowing me to regain my vision. I noticed that I was in the main avenue, fighting Shuichi in the Zeronos armor.

My Oum, I caused all of this. I see Ryutaros revving his bike, ready to attack Shuichi. This has gone on for too long. I began trying to push Ryutaros out, but this was much more difficult than before. As I kept pushing, I see Ryutaros driving towards Shuichi. I growled loudly as I shouted, 'Ryutaros, THAT'S ENOUGH!' I managed to take control of my left arm as I steered away from Shuichi and crashed into the statue instead.

"KUROKUU!" I hear Weiss shouting as she and everyone else ran towards me, except for Shuichi.

I hear Ryutaros groaning as he said **, "Why? Why are you...trying to stop me?"**

'You're not causing anymore trouble.' I said before kicking a Ryutaros out. The armor immediately dematerialized as I finally regain control of my body. The battle was long fought as I was covered in slash wounds and bruises. Some blood came out of my mouth as I looked around and saw a student staring at me in fear.

He quickly ran away before Weiss and the others came in. "Kurokuu, just hold on! We'll get Professor Ozpin to help." Weiss said worryingly.

"Weiss...I'm fine, don't worry about it." I said as I slowly got on my feet.

Ren and Nora put my arms around their shoulders as I see Shuichi marching towards me. He pulled the card out of the belt as it disintegrated. Shuichi then disconnected the belt, causing the armor to dematerialize. "You! Your a singular point, yet you can't even control your imagins?! Look what you made me do! You made me waste another card!" Shuichi shouted as he grabbed my jacket.

"I'm sorry...It was my fault that I let this happen." I apologized, even though it wouldn't change a thing.

"Sorry?! You think sorry will fix all of this?! If I keep using up cards like this, my life would be cut short!" Shuichi said before holding his side in pain. "Damn, forget it!" And with that, Shuichi walked off on his own.

Mai and Deneb laid their hands in my shoulder as she said, "Don't worry, I'll go talk to him."

"No, I should talk to him. It's my fault that this happened." I said as I limped towards them.

Deneb stops me and said **, "No, we'll go talk to him. You need to rest, Kurokuu."**

"Besides, I think you need to check with Ryutaros." Mai said. I simply nodded as Mai and Deneb went off searching for Shuichi.

I stared at Mai and Deneb as I thought about what Shuichi said. What does he mean about having his life cut short? What does the card do to him? And if what he said was true, am I killing him? Weiss looked at me and said, "Come on, Kurokuu. Let's get you to the Den-Liner." I nodded before we made our way to the Sands of Time.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, the student hid behind a wall as he muttered, "The hell just happened? Whatever happened to a normal, quiet day?"_

 _Once he said that, the tortoise imagin appeared in front of him, with papers in hand. The student shook in fear as he backed away from him._ " _ **Your contract is complete. Here's the papers."**_ _The tortoise imagin said as he threw the papers at him. The paper itself had another person's name on it, but it was scratched out and replaced with his._

" _What? What contract?" That didn't stop the tortoise imagin from trying to jump, but the hole didn't open._

 _The tortoise imagin tried to force it open, although it slightly opened, it still remains shut._ " _ **Why won't you open up?!"**_ _The tortoise imagin shouted._ " _ **I did the contact!"**_

" _Ow! Ow! Ow! What contract?!" The student shouted as he pushed the imagin away from him._

 _The tortoise imagin stared at him in disbelief and asked_ _ **, "You don't remember?"**_ _The student shook his head no._ " _ **You...GRRRAH!"**_ _Releasing his anger, the tortoise imagin spat large balls, which is the size of baseballs, at the student's head. The student fell on the ground as the tortoise imagin shook him over and over._ " _ **Come on! You have to remember something!"**_

 _The student didn't understand what he meant until he remembered something. He made the contract in his sleep! He was completely dumbfounded as the only thing he said was, "Uh….."_

" _ **Good, you now remember. Contract complete."**_ _The tortoise imagin said as he split the student open._ " _ **Man, this is a small hole."**_ _Without waiting any longer, the imagin jumped into his memory._

* * *

Naomi is patching up my wounds as I wait for my aura to generate back. Team RWBY and JNPR sat patiently with Momotaros, Urataros, and Kintaros. Naomi put the last bandage on my slash wound and said, "Remember, don't try to move around too fast or you'll open your wound again." I nodded silently before she walked away.

Momotaros took a sip of coffee before saying **, "Damn, brat. He's always causing some trouble."**

I looked over to Ryutaros and saw him looking at one of his drawings. I walked over and sat next to Ryutaros as the drawing showed him and Kasumi holding hands. I sighed and said softly, "Ryutaros, please don't do that again."

Ryutaros puts his legs close to his chest and said **, "Kurokuu, you're okay with Onee-chan being taken? Onee-chan loves him, but I'm definitely stronger."**

Pyrrha joined in and said, "I'm sure she loves you as well. But, she doesn't love Shuichi for being strong."

" **But, Kuma-chan said so."** We all turned our heads at Kintaros as he had a nervous look on his face.

" **I was speaking in general."** Kintaros defended himself.

" **What's normal for you is to be a bear!"** Momotaros shouted as he smacked Kintaros in the head.

Weiss groaned and said, "Kintaros,you just had to open your mouth." Kintaros hung his head low.

I focused back on Ryutaros and said, "Ryutaros, Kasumi would surely tell you not to do that."

" **I won't stop even if Onee-chan said so. I don't like being weaker than him."** Ryutaros said as he turned away from me. Weiss was ready to lecture at him until I raised my hand up to stop her. " **Plus Kurokuu, you hate him too, don't you? I know."**

I sighed silently at what he said. "You're right, I do hate him. But, I'm not gonna let my view of him control me. He's my teammate now, I need to learn to respect him. And even if you do that again, I'll definitely stop you." I said sternly.

" **You can't stop me. Not if I get serious."** Ryutaros said as he crossed his arms together.

"But, I'll still stop you. No matter what you do, I'll stop you. Even if I have to disappear with you." Ryutaros looked at me for a moment before turning away.

Momotaros groaned and said **, "Oi, Kurokuu! Nothing you'll say to the kid isn't gonna work!"**

I sighed and said to Ryutaros, "Just try to think about it, okay?" I stood up and said, "Well, I guess we should head back. I think I need to apologize to Shuichi." We all nodded our heads collectively as we walked towards the entrance.

I turned to say goodbye to everyone until I see Momotaros sniffing the air. He stood up and said **, "Imagin!"**

"Imagin, where?!" Ruby shouted.

" **He's somewhere at school. The imagin has already made the contract and fled!"**

Jaune pulls our Crocea Mor and said, "Looks like we won't have much time to waste!"

I looked towards everyone and said, "Stay here! I'll go get the ticket!" Everyone agreed as I ran out the exit and into the Sands of Time. I ran through the desert until I found a door which leads to the main avenue. I looked around until I saw the student who ran away from me. I pulled the ticket out and placed it near his head. The ticket displayed some sort of tortoise imagin with the date 3/14/2016. I took a deep breath before picking up my scroll and calling Mai.

I waited until Mai picked up and said, "Hello?"

"Mai, it's me, Kurokuu. Momotaros found an imagin and it has already fled to the past!"

"Okay, I'll be there in a bit." Mai said before hanging up.

I pulled out the pass and slipped the ticket inside. Then I pulled out the Den-O belt and wrapped it around my waist. "Urataros, let's go." I said before pressing the blue button. It played its aquatic tune as I said, "Henshin." I swipe the pass over the front of the belt as it called out.

 **ROD FORM**

The armor materialized with the armor pieces and faceplate attaching with it. Urataros took over my body and said **, "Shall we catch this imagin?"**

* * *

 _Few minutes before_

 _Shuichi is seen in the training room, punching a practice dummy in a boxing ring. He isn't wearing a shirt, revealing his toned physique. But, he is seen wearing a black windbreaker pants with white athletic shoes. He does a right hook before doing a backhand strike. Shuichi then does a left hook and a right uppercut punch before doing a front kick, knocking the dummy over. Shuichi breathed heavily as he grabbed his towel off the ring and wiped the sweat around his body._

 _He took a sip of water from his bottle until he stopped and said, "What do you want, Mai, Deneb."_

 _Mai and Deneb were standing at the door as Deneb said_ _ **, "Um...Shuichi. I think we need to talk."**_

" _What's there to talk about?" Shuichi said as he tossed his towel and continues practicing._

" _Shuichi, why did you snap at Kurokuu like that?" Mai asked as she entered the ring with him._

" _Well one, he made me waste my card. And two, he almost hurt Ruby because he couldn't keep his imagin in check. So can you blame me for being upset at the kid? If Kurokuu can't handle his own imagins, then how am I supposed to work with someone like that?" Shuichi shouted before roundhouse kicking the dummy._

 _The sounds of Shuichi punching the dummy echoed in the room until Mai said, "No, I don't blame you. I don't blame you for what Ryutaros did and how Kurokuu couldn't stop him. Kurokuu may not be the most experienced, but he's the best teammate. He rarely thinks about himself, always try to help the people close to him, and he can learn to work with others. Something that I don't see you possess." Shuichi stayed quiet as he continued punching the dummy. "Shuichi, we're a team now. We can't just focus on ourselves anymore. We need to be there for each other, like family. That's what my father believed in."_

 _Shuichi stopped as he was taken back by her words. He starting remembering his days with Team NXUS. How they worked together. How they help each other push to become their best. How they all laugh and cry together. They went through many trials in life, but they did it all together as a team._

 _Silenced filled the air until Mai's scroll starting ringing. She picked it up and said, "Hello?"_

" _Mai, it's me, Kurokuu." Kurokuu said in the call. "Momotaros found an imagin and it has already fled to the past!"_

" _Okay, I'll be there in a bit." Mai said before hanging up._

" _What happened?" Shuichi asked._

" _Imagin, it already fled. I'm going after it." Mai said as she left._

 _Deneb and Shuichi stood quietly as Deneb asked_ _ **, "Are you gonna go help Kurokuu?"**_

 _Shuichi sighed for a moment as he grabbed a green windbreaker jacket off the ring and said, "Well, someone has to save the kid. Let's go, Deneb!" Deneb nodded as they both opened the closet door to enter the Sands of Time._

* * *

 _March 14, 2016_

 _It was a beautiful, spring day at Beacon Academy as the bullheads lands at the main avenue. The doors open, releasing all of the new and returning students. Among them is the student, with an eager look on his face. He took a deep breath and said, "Beacon, watch out! You're looking at the best huntsman in the world!" The student followed everyone until he froze in place. Sand spilled out of his clothes as it formed into the tortoise imagin._

 _The student screamed as everyone began to panic. Some attempted to flee while others stayed and tried to fight the imagin off. The tortoise imagin snickered as he split himself into two. His clone was very different to the original, being more energetic and quick. The tortoise clone jumped around excitedly and said_ _ **, "Time to wipe everything away!"**_ _The speedy clone ran around everyone, dodging all the gunfire. With the chaos ensuing, this has attracted all of the Grimms from the Emerald Forest to come up and attack the Academy._

 _As students and teachers defend the school, Nakamura is seen on the dorm rooftops as he stares at his stopwatch. The second hand reached one minute as the Den-Liner entered right on time with the Zero-Liner following behind. Knowing he can't stay for much longer, he flees from the scene, making sure that he doesn't run into the Den-O again._

* * *

Urataros, Team RWBY, JNPR, and Mai all landed at the main avenue as we see the imagins causing chaos. What imagins? I then noticed two tortoise imagins causing damage to the statute. Are you kidding me? There's two now?!

Jaune gulped loudly and said, "Uh, guys. I think we got more trouble on our hands." We all looked over and saw the Grimms climbing up the rocky walls from the Emerald Forest.

A nevermore flew over us as Ruby said, "Okay, Urataros. You handle the imagins while me, my team, Team JNPR, and Mai will handle the Grimms."

Urataros assembled his weapon and said **, "Got it, Rubes."**

"Alright, gang! Let's go kick some butt!" Ruby shouted as she led her team, Team JNPR, and Mai into battle.

Urataros turns around and sees the two tortoise imagin. One was acting normal while the other looked energetic. " **Den-O, I knew you'd be here. So, I brought a partner along."** The calm tortoise imagin said as he introduced the other one.

The energetic tortoise imagin hopped around and said **, "Hey, there! Nice to meet you! Now die!"** Then the energetic imagin jump kicked Urataros, pushing him back. Urataros got up and tried to trip the imagin, but he kept constantly jumping, making the task very difficult. Urataros then attempted to surprise the imagin with a sudden thrust, but he saw this coming and kicked the rod out of the way.

Then the energetic tortoise imagin jumped up and wrapped his legs around Urataros' neck before pulling Urataros forward, throwing him into the other tortoise imagin. The calm tortoise imagin kicked Urataros in the stomach and lifted him up to his shoulders. Then, the imagin slammed him into the ground. Urataros groaned in pain as he tried to get back up. " **Haha! Looks like you've been strung along!"** The energetic tortoise imagin said as he hopped around Urataros.

" **Face it, it's over. Any last words?"** The calm tortoise imagin said as he cracked his knuckles.

"He's not dying just yet!" We all turned our heads and see Shuichi standing causally.

" **Who are you?"**

"The guy who'll have to save the Den-O's ass again." Shuichi said as he wrapped the Zeronos belt around his waist. As he pulled out a card from the card holder, Shuichi asked, who I am assuming is Deneb, "Deneb, how many cards do I have left?" He stayed quiet for a moment, signaling that Deneb is replying to his answer. "I don't know if that's a lot or very little." He slides the switch as the soft flute music begins to play. "Henshin!" Shuichi shouts as he slides the card into the belt.

 **ALTAIR FORM**

His armor materialized as the armor pieces and faceplate combine together. Shuichi charged in and tackled the energetic one while Urataros surprised attacked the calm one by striking him across the chest. Shuichi and Urataros locked the imagins in a chokehold as the calm one asked **, "Wait, there's another Den-O?!"**

Shuichi sighed and said, "Let me say this from the start." Shuichi then release the energetic tortoise imagin from his chokehold and punches him in the face. "Don't lump me together with him! We're on completely different levels."

Urataros release the other imagin and smacked him in the face with his rod. " **Thanks for saying that."** Urataros said as they focused on fighting their imagin. Urataros blocks the calm tortoise imagin's punches before striking him stomach and head. The calm imagin stumbled back as Urataros tripped him and stabbed him repeatedly on the ground.

As Urataros handles the imagin, I focus my attention on Shuichi. He wields his sword backhanded as he blocks the energetic tortoise imagin's punches. Then he slashed overhead, causing the imagin to bend his body downwards from the force. Taking this opportunity, Shuichi rolled across his back and wrapped his right arm around the imagin's, pulling him towards the ground. Shuichi got back up and was ready to attack the imagin, but the energetic imagin kicked the sword away from him.

Shuichi backed up as he growled and said, "Deneb, you're up!" Out of nowhere, Deneb jumps and lands behind Shuichi as he pulled the card out and flipped the side over. He slides the card in as it called out.

 **VEGA FORM**

The faceplate disappeared as more armor attached with the suit. Deneb cross his arms and placed his hands over Shuichi's shoulder. The chest opened up, revealing Deneb's face. And lastly, the faceplate attached with the helmet as the cape is attached to the back. Deneb stood still as he said **, "Let me say this from the start, I...have nothing to say."**

" **If you have nothing to say then keep your mouth shut!"** The energetic imagin said as he charged towards Deneb.

I decided to focus my attention back on Urataros as he swings the rod around. He does an overhead strike before horizontal strike at the calm imagin's temple. He stumbled back a bit until Urataros thrusted his rod into his stomach. Sand seeped from the wounds as Urataros lifts the imagin up and throws him over his head, knocking the imagin into its clone. Urataros walked over to Deneb and asked **, "Wanna finish it together, Odebu?"**

Deneb bowed his head down and said **, "Hai, that you would be great. But, please my name is Deneb."** Deneb pressed the button on top of his belt as it called out.

 **FULL CHARGE**

Then, Urataros placed the pass over the belt.

 **FULL CHARGE**

Lasers entered the rod as Urataros throws his rod at the two imagins, creating hexagon target in front of them. Deneb's sword glowed yellow as he does a horizontal slash, releasing a yellow energy wave, cutting through them. Urataros did the finishing blow as he ran towards the hexagon target and jumped upward. At the right height, Urataros performed a dive kick into the hexagon target, blowing the tortoise imagins up.

Once the fight was over, we heard Ruby shouting, "Guys! That was AWESOME!" We turned around as Ruby started to talk really fast, "OhmyOum,thatwassoawesome!Howthebothofyouguysteammeduptogethertotakethemdownandthatcool,awesomefinisher!Ah!Itwasjustsocool!"

Weiss smacked Ruby in the back and said, "Ruby, breathe." She complied as she began breathing slowly and deeply. "Shall we go home?"

Everyone nodded as they wanted to leave as well. Everyone began walking away until Urataros turned around and saw the sand moving upward. " **Guys, it's not over."** Urataros warned as everyone turned around and gazed at what's happening in front of us.

The sand moved up to the sky as it combined together and created two Gigandeaths! One was a Gigandeath Heaven and the other was a Gigandeath Hell. Jaune screamed loudly and said, "What in Remnant is that?!"

"It's that same monster we counted at the docks. But now, there's two of them!" Blake shouted as she shifted Gambol Shroud into its pistol form.

Mai pulled out another arrow from her quiver and said, "You guys take it down with your liners, I'll round up all the students that have firepower."

" **Hai, hai. Time to finish this thing."** Urataros said as two portals open in the skies. One was a Den-Liner Isurugi and the Zero-Liner. Deneb and Urataros both jumped onto their respective liners as Urataros entered the back car. The back car opened up as it released the Radome, a hovercraft that looks like a turtle. The Radome began flying around the Gigandeath Heaven as it fired needles at us. As the fight went on, my scroll started ringing. Urataros picked it up for me and said **, "Hello?"**

"It's Mai, lure the Gigandeath here and we can blast it to smithereens." Mai explained.

" **Got it."** Urataros ended my call and began luring the Gigandeath close to the Academy. Urataros turned around and saw Mai along with Team RWBY, JNPR, and the entire academy aiming their weapons at the Gigandeath. The Radome hovered over everyone as everyone began firing whatever they had at it. The Gigandeath Heaven roared in pain as Urataros charged up the final shot. A large energy ball was built up at the front as it fired the large beam of energy at the Gigandeath, obliterating it.

Urataros jumps off the Radome as it returned to the back car. Ruby looked through her scope and shouted, "The other one is still on the loose!"

" **Don't worry, Deneb's handling it."** Urataros said as we watched the battle. The Gigandeath Hell splashed inside the large lake until the Zero-Liner stood in front of it. The Gigandeath splashed the water around as it was ready to charge towards the Zero-Liner. Seconds felt like hours as we wait for one of them to make the first move. The Gigandeath and the Zero-Liner charged at the same time, butting heads with each other. Their horns intertwined with each other as they tried to overpower each other. It was a stalemate for quite a while until the Zero-Liner moved down to the Gigandeath's neck and lifted him over with its horns.

Then we see the cars detach with each other before repositioning, having the back car be the front, creating the Zero-Liner Naginata. The new front of the Zero-Liner had a hawk motif instead of a bull as the top of the car opened up, revealing helicopter blades. The Gigandeath hell spat fire from his mouth as the Zero-Liner took off in the air.

"Cool! It can turn into a whirly bird!" Ruby shouted excitedly.

"Whirly bird? Do you mean helicopter?" Weiss asked.

"No, it's a whirlybird."

"Helicopter."

"Whirlybird."

"Helicopter! It's a helicopter! If you say whirlybird one more time, I will-!"

"Weiss, chill out. Ruby just like calling helicopters that." Yang said, trying to calm Weiss down.

As Weiss slowly calmed down, Jaune was fascinated by the Zero-Liner. "Wow, the Zero-Liner is really cool!" Jaune said.

"I guess, but the whole helicopter thing is kinda pointless since they could already travel in the sky without it." Blake commented.

The fight continued as the Zero-Liner Naginata evaded the Gigandeath Hell's fireballs. Then the Zero-Liner Naginata faced downward, having the helicopter blades face the Gigandeath. The Gigandeath Hell tried to destroy it, but the blades protect the liner. Then the Zero-Liner Naginata dealt the final blow as the helicopter blade chopped the Gigandeath to pieces before exploding.

Everyone cheered as the imagins is now destroyed. The Zero-Liner repositioned itself as it rode along with the Den-Liner. The two liners landed at the main avenue as Deneb got off. Deneb pulled the card out as it disintegrated. He disconnected the belt as the armor begins to dematerialize. Urataros did the same as my armor dematerialized as well. I fell on my knees, completely tired from the fight. Then, I felt Shuichi standing in front of me as he had his hand out. I looked at his hand before looking at Shuichi, making sure he wasn't joking around.

I grabbed his hand as he helped me up. Team RWBY, JNPR, and Mai gathered around as I said, "Look, I know this won't fix anything. But-"

"Wait." Shuichi interrupted. "I would like to say something to you. I know that I haven't been the best teammate to you or Mai. But...I'll try to change that." I looked at him in shock. This was the most sincere thing he has ever said since we met! Finally, he said something that isn't an insult! He smirked a little as he tapped my forehead with his fingers. "Okay, don't let it go to your head. We don't need you to get all cocky now."

Deneb then grabbed me, Shuichi, and Mai for a group hug as he said **, "It has finally happened. Team MSKD is now united! Tonight, I'll make dinner for everyone!"**

Team RWBY and JNPR cheered as they joined in on the group hug. We embraced the moment until I said, "Uh...guys. I think we should leave before we cause too many changes in the past." Team RWBY, JNPR, Shuichi, Deneb, and Mai all turned their heads towards the students as they stared at us.

"Right, we should get going." Ren said as me, Team RWBY, JNPR, and Mai all board on the Den-Liner while Shuichi and Deneb board the Zero-Liner.

But, before we could leave, Mai walked out and said, "Shuichi, wait!"

Shuichi stopped in place and asked, "Yeah? What is it?"

"I have to ask you, do you know anything about the disappeared future? Because the Zero-Liner should've disappeared along with it and somehow, it's here now. So, would you know anything about that?"

Shuichi stayed quiet for a moment until he said, "No, I don't know anything about the destroyed future. I never met with the owner of the Zero-Liner, it was just given to me. That's all I know, sorry." And with that, Shuichi entered the Zero-Liner and took off.

Mai looked upset as she didn't find any new information. I walked over and place my hand on her shoulder. "Mai, we'll find something soon. Come on, let's go home." I said softly. Mai nodded as we both entered back inside. We began to take off as we all looked through the windows and see the students waving at us. I smiled as I kick back and relaxed after a long day.

* * *

 _It was night time at the White Fang warehouse as the grunts were still at work. They moved the dust crates onto a bullhead as Gaoh sat quietly, drinking a large bottle of vodka. As he finishes another bottle, he reaches inside his pocket and pulls out the Infinity ticket. Gaoh analyzes the ticket as he said, "Let the plan...begin."_

* * *

(A/N:) Okay, I'm gonna talk about one specific thing about this chapter, and that is the whole "singular point ability." Throughout the story, Kurokuu has been able to summon and use the Taros' weapons because I didn't want to put the time in making an oc weapon. And while I was writing this, I never really fully explained how he's able to just summon their weapons. I mean, I had a brief explanation about it back in chapter 4. But it didn't really explain enough, so I kinda passed it off as a lie that Kurokuu told to everyone before he was exposed. So I decided to basically use this chapter as a means to fully explain how he could summon their weapons to use as his own. And before you ask, no, that is not Kurokuu's semblance. It's just an ability that any singular point can use if they have imagins.

Anyways, leve a review on what you thought about this chapter and I'll see you all next time. Bye!


	16. Chapter 16: The Operation

(A/N:) Hey guys! Welcome to Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time! And oh man, I've been waiting for this chapter for awhile now! It took awhile to write so I'm sorry that I didn't post it sooner. But anyways, leave a review on what you thought about this chapter and I hope you enjoy!

I do not I own the rights to the series RWBY or Kamen Rider. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth Productions and The Kamen Rider Series is owned by Toei Company

"Normal Speech"

'Thoughts/Inner communication between OC and imagin'

 _"Third Person/Flashback"_

 **"Imagin speech"**

* * *

I slowly opened my eyes as I yawned loudly and rubbed my eyes. I looked around the dorm and noticed that it was still dark out. I check the time on my scroll which displayed 3:37 A.M. Damn, looks like I can't sleep. I slowly got out of bed and walked towards my mini fridge. I opened the fridge, revealing a large gallon of milk, some produce that Deneb bought so he could make food for everyone, a plate of cookies which probably belonged to Shuichi, and some frozen TV dinner.

I sighed softly as I grabbed the gallon of milk and closed the fridge. I grabbed my mug, poured the milk inside, and put it in the microwave for half a minute. As the humming of the microwave filled the room, I heard creaking coming from the right. I turned towards the sound and saw nothing. I took a deep breath and thought to myself, 'I must be getting sleepy. Some milk might do me some good.' The microwave started beeping, indicating that it was done heating up the cup of milk.

I pulled it out and slowly began drinking it. As I continued to drink my warm cup of milk, I heard more movement coming from the right side of the room again. I looked up and saw that the closet door was slightly ajar. I set my mug down and slowly approached the door. Once I arrived at the door, I slowly open it, making sure nothing was on the other side. And sure enough, there wasn't. Strange, what was that creaking noise that I heard?

Then I felt heat coming from behind me. I tried to turn around, but I felt someone's hands covering my mouth, preventing me from making a ruckus. I began to struggle as I tried to escape from the kidnapper's grasp. I quickly elbowed the person in the stomach, causing him to let go of his hand off my mouth. I quickly grabbed his right arm and stuck my right foot out. Then in one swift motion, I tossed the person over my shoulder, causing him to fall on his back.

I was ready to punch the lights out of the guy until I realized it was Deneb! But, why would he do that to me for? "Deneb, what the heck were you trying to do to me?!" I whispered loudly.

He looked nervous as he sat on his knees and bowed his head down. " **Kurokuu, I'm so sorry!"** Deneb apologized.

"It's fine, but we are you here in the middle of the night? And why were you trying to grab me for?" I asked.

" **It's...for the climax."**

I gave him a questioning look. "Climax? What Clima-!" Suddenly, I felt something being injected in my shoulder as I turned around and pushed the person behind me back. I slowly pulled the needle out of my shoulder and saw that it was empty. I looked at the person who drugged and saw that it was Shuichi! What the heck is even going on?! "Shuichi...what the heck did you do that for?!"

"We need you for the climax." Shuichi replied.

"You guys keep on saying climax. What climax are you talking about…?" Then the drug started to kick in as I slowly felt fatigue. I accidently stumbled back and hit my head against the wall. As my vision begin to fade, I see three other figures walking in from the bathroom. The first one looked like me with some subtle differences like a blue streak in my hair and blue eyes. He was wearing glasses, a black suit with a blue dress shirt, and a yellow tie. The other two individuals were Kintaros and Ryutaros standing next to each other.

Kintaros slowly walked up to me and said **, "I'm sorry, Kurokuu-dono. Please, forgive me."** The last thing I felt before falling into unconsciousness was Kintaros taking over my body.

* * *

 **Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time**

 **Chapter 16: The Operation**

* * *

"Hey, Kurokuu! Wake up!" I snap my head up at Yang's voice. "It's your move."

I wiped some drool off my face and said, "Yeah, right." It's been a few days after the whole battle between Ryutaros and Shuichi. And since the weekend finally came, which thank Oum for that, I decided to hang out with Team RWBY and JNPR in the library. While Team JNPR were reading books, Ruby and Yang decided that we should all play a game of Remnant: The Game. I drew a card from the deck and said, "Pass. Not making any attacks on anyone."

"Kurokuu, you're so passive. You are on the side of Grimm! You have the power to wipe all of us out and you decide to stay neutral?" Yang questioned.

"Sometimes, it's best if you just let things play out." I replied.

"Alright then. Rubes, you're up." Yang said. As Ruby began making her move, I smiled sinisterly behind my cards. These fools. They think that I'm playing passively? Well, once I gather the pieces, I'll be unstoppable! Muahahahaha!

I snapped out of my thoughts as I see Ruby crying. "Nooo!" She cried as she laid her head against the table.

"Well, Weiss, it's your turn." Yang said.

"I have...absolutely no idea what's going on." Weiss said as she looked at her cards confusingly.

Yang slides up to Weiss and puts her hand over her shoulder. "Look, it's easy! You're playing as Vacuo which means that all Vacuo-based cards come with a bonus."

"That sounds dumb."

Yang began looking through Weiss' cards and said, "See, you've got Sandstorm, Desert Scavenge... Oh, oh! Resourceful Raider! See, now you can take Ruby's discarded Air Fleet-"

"Noooo…" Ruby interrupted.

"-And put it in your hands!"

"Okay?" Weiss said unsurely.

"And since Vacuo warriors have an endurance against Natural-based hazards, you can use Sandstorm to disable my ground forces and simultaneously infiltrate my kingdom! Just know that I will not forget this declaration of war." Yang said before returning to her seat.

"And that means…?"

"You're just three moves away from conquering Remnant!" Ruby cried.

Weiss stands up and laughs psychotically. "Y-yes! Fear the almighty power of my forces! Cower as they pillage your homes and weep as they take your children from your very arms!"

"Trap card." Yang called out. She moved the pieces around on the board. "Your armies have been destroyed."

Weiss slumps in her chair and wept. "I hate this game of emotions we play."

Ruby hops into Weiss' lap. "Stay strong, Weiss! We'll make it through this together!"

"Shut up! Don't touch me!" Weiss said while hugging Ruby.

Yang puts her hands behind her head and said, "Alright Blake, it's your turn."

Blake didn't seem to notice Yang talking to her. Strange, she's been like this for a while now. What's going on in your head, Blake? I cleared my throat and said, "Blake, you're up."

She snapped out of her thoughts and said, "Oh, um, sorry, what am I doing again?"

"You're playing as Vale, trying to conquer the Kingdoms of Remnant!" Yang answered.

"Right…" Blake said uncertainly. "I'll pass."

"Okay, I'm up!" Yang draws a card from the deck. "I place two trap card face down and I'll send my troops outside the walls to take care of your Grimms!"

I smirked as I said, "Not so fast! I activate my trap card, Grimm Birth! If any kingdom's troops declare an attack on the Grimms, I can roll the dice. If the roll is four or higher, I get to summon a level four or higher Grimm from my hand!"

"Yes, but if you roll a three or lower, you can't summon any Grimms!" Yang warned.

I grabbed the dice and began shaking it around. "I'm willing to go all in!" I said before throwing the dice on the board. It rolled around for a bit until it landed on a six. "Perfect! From my hand, I'll summon my Deathstalker!" I shouted as I slammed the card on the field and placed the Deathstalker piece next to it. "Since it has such a high defense, are you willing to risk the lives of your soldiers?!"

Yang growled and said, "No, I'll call off my attack. It's your turn." I dramatically pulled the next card and saw the game changer. I smirked sinisterly as I began to laugh maniacally. Everyone around me looked at me uncomfortably as Yang asked, "What's so funny?"

"Remnant...WILL BOW DOWN TO ME!" Yang and Ruby gasped as I initiated my plan. "First, I activate my spell card, Grimm Invasion! This card allows me to bypass any kingdom's defense, so I choose Mistral!"

Yang started to panic and shouted, "No, not my kingdom!"

"Oh, we haven't even reached the climax just yet! I then summon the most feared Grimm known to mankind, The Dragon Grimm!" Yang and Ruby gasped again. "Throughout the game, I've collected the pieces of the Dragon Grimm. The right wing of the dragon, the left wing, the right talon, the left talon, and now, the head! I assemble the pieces together to form my monster!" I shouted as I pulled out the Dragon Grimm piece. "And now, two kill two birds with one stone! I send the Deathstalker and Beowolves to Mistral, finishing off what's left of it! And I'll send the Dragon Grimm to Vale, udderly destroying everything and everyone there!"

I hear Yang growling angrily as Ruby said, "That means…"

"Yes, that means I win! Remnant now belongs to the Grimms! You fools fought each other blindly for resources and power, yet you don't even see the true threat amongst you all! Watch as the Grimms snuff out what's left of humanity as it's now plunged into darkness! MUHAHAHAHAHA!"

I hear Yang growling some more until she walked over to me and gut punched me hard! I clenched my stomach in pain as I fell on my knees and onto the ground. "YOU DON'T NEED TO RUB IT IN, ASSHOLE!" Yang shouted before flipping the board game over.

I groaned in pain and said, "Sorry...got...carried away."

Weiss sighed as she helped me up and said, "Yang, I think you need to calm down. It's just a game." Yang didn't listen as she looked away from me.

Ruby pat my shoulder and said, "Don't worry, just give Yang some time to calm down."

I nodded before turning to see Jaune approaching towards us. "Hey, mind if I play now since you guys are done playing?" Jaune asked.

"Sure, knock yourself out. Not literally by the way." I said as I picked up the board game off the ground.

As Jaune and I picked up the pieces and cards, I hear a certain monkey faunus say, "'Sup, losers!"

I stood up and saw Sun along with Neptune. "Hey, Sun! Neptune!" Ruby greeted.

"Ruby, Blake, Yang, Kurokuu...Ice Queen."

"Why does everyone keep calling me that?" Weiss asked.

"We actually came by and wanted to talk to you, Rubes."

Ruby looked at the curiously and asked, "Talk to me? Why?"

"It's a secret...and we need your help."

"Uhh, aren't libraries meant for reading?" Neptune asked.

"Thank you!" Ren replied.

Sun pulled Neptune away and said, "Neptune, shut up. Don't be a nerd."

Neptune shook his finger side to side and said, "Geh, geh, geh, geh! 'Intellectual', okay? Thank you."

Weiss sat in her seat and said, "So Neptune, I heard you're from Haven?"

"Yep." Neptune then approaches Weiss and said, "But enough about me, let's hear about you." I slowly curled my fingers into a fist as I stared at Neptune intensely.

"Came from Atlas. Decided to come here instead. Nothing interesting." Weiss said as she walked away from him.

Neptune sighed and said, "Well, can't win them all." He then looked and winked at me. What was that all about?

Sun looked at Blake and said, "I never took you as a board game type."

Then, Blake stands up and said, "Right, well, I think I'm done playing actually. I'll see you guys later." And with that, Blake just walked away from us.

We stared at her silently as Nora said, "Women." Okay, There is definitely something going on with Blake. She's seems to be more reserved than usual. But, why?

"So Rubes, can we talk to you for a bit?" Sun asked again.

Ruby thinks about it for a bit and said, "Okay, let's talk." Sun and Neptune nodded as they lead Ruby away from us. As they walk away, I see Sun and Neptune snickering quietly. Alright, what is going on between you two?

I sighed and thought to myself, 'It's probably nothing.' I looked over to Weiss and saw the concerned look on her face. "Weiss, what's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing. It's just Blake." Weiss replied.

"Oh, you too?"

"Doesn't she seem more quiet than before?"

"Yeah, maybe we should go talk to her."

"Yeah, let's go." Weiss said as she got up from our seats.

As we made our way out of the library, I hear Yang shouting, "Hey, where are you going?"

"Back to our dorm!" Weiss replied.

"Wait for me!" Yang shouted as she caught up to us.

* * *

 _Sun, Neptune, and Ruby sat away from Team (R)WBY, JNPR, and Kurokuu, making sure they don't hear anything. Ruby sat nervously and said, "So…..why did you call me for?"_

 _Neptune cleared his throat and said, "Well...it's about...the dance coming up."_

" _Okay, and?"_

" _Well, since you know Weiss, does she… like Kurokuu?"_

 _Ruby's eyes widen at what Neptune said. "Wait, what? What made you think that?! I don't know! I don't know at all!"_

 _Sun sighed and said, "We're just asking, that's it! Does Weiss like Kurokuu or not?"_

 _Ruby started feeling nervous as she doesn't know what to do in this situation. She faced away from them and muttered to herself, "Holy Shizz! How did they know? Did I accidently tell anyone? Did Yang tell them?" Ruby lightly slaps herself. "Get it together, Ruby. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about."_

" _Um, Ruby?" Sun said, trying to get Ruby's attention._

 _She faced back towards Sun and Neptune as she asked, "Why do you want to know that Weiss may or may not like Kurokuu?"_

 _Neptune rubbed his eyes and said, "Well, I needed some confirmation so we can start our plans."_

" _And what's that?"_

 _Sun sighed and said, "Neptune wanted to get Kurokuu to ask Weiss out to the dance. And since you're the closest to Weiss, we thought you might know something."_

 _Ruby's eyes widen as she asked, "Wait, Kurokuu likes Weiss?!"_

 _"Yep, we pretty much figured it out."_

 _"Oh my Oum, this is perfect! If they both like each other, that means..."_

 _"So you in or not?" Neptune asked._

 _Ruby smiles and said excitedly, "Of course!" She realized she shouted too loud as Sun and Neptune shushed her. "Of course I will. I was planning to help Weiss ask him out too."_

" _Perfect!" Neptune exclaimed. "Now, let's talk about the plan."_

* * *

Weiss, Yang, and I waited in front of Team RWBY's dorm as Yang swiped her pass over the lock. We entered inside as Yang said, "I still can't believe you won!"

"You're still on about that?" I asked.

"Yes because you tricked me!"

Weiss sighed and said, "Yang, the game is already over so just drop it."

"Could you not side with your boyfriend for one minute?!"

Weiss and I blushed at the same time as we shouted, "HE/SHE IS NOT MY BOYFRIEND/GIRLFRIEND!"

Yang just groaned as she sat on her desk. As we calm down, I see Blake about to leave. Weiss caught on first as she said, "Stop." This caused Blake to stop in place. "Lately, you've been quiet, antisocial, and moody!"

"Uh, have you meant Blake?" Yang said.

"Which I get is kind of your thing, but you've been doing it more than usual! Which quite frankly, is unacceptable! You made a promise to me, to all of us, that you would let us know if something was wrong! So, Blake Belladonna, what is wrong!?" Weiss shouted as she balanced herself on a chair.

Blake seemed uncomfortable talking about what she's thinking, so I stepped in and said, "Blake, we're your friends. And as your friends, we worry about you. So please, tell us what's wrong."

As we wait for Blake to say something, the door opens, revealing Ruby along with Sun and Neptune. "Hey, guys! What's going on?" Ruby asked.

"Weiss and Kurokuu are trying to get Blake to talk to us." Yang said.

Blake took a deep breath and said, "I just...I don't understand how everyone can be so calm."

"You still thinking about the whole dock incident?" Sun asked.

"Torchwick, the White Fang, the Imagins, all of it! Something big is happening and no one is doing nothing about it!"

"I thought the VPD already had it handled. I mean, Torchwick is behind bars and most of the White Fang involved in that attack has been captured." Yang said, trying to reassure her.

"You don't know the White Fang like I do! But that isn't what scares me. What scares me is that what if the Imagins allied themselves with the White Fang? Or worse?!"

"Blake, I don't think the Imagins would ally themselves with anyone. They have their own goals, so why would they work with the very thing they want to erase?" I questioned Blake.

"Yes, but they need a contractor in order to enter our world. What if they used the White Fang in order to do so?!" I was about to counter until I reconsidered what she said. She's not wrong. The White Fang's desire to wipe out humanity would surely attract the Imagins.

Weiss stepped in and said, "Okay, between blowing up nightclubs, stopping thieves, and fighting Imagins, I'm sure the four of you think that you're all ready to go out and apprehend these ne'er-do-wells!"

"Uh...who?" Neptune said quietly.

"But let me once again be the voice of reason. We're students! We're not ready to handle this sort of situation!"

Ruby mumbled, "Well yeah, but-"

"We're not ready! We already crossed the line with Imagins, now you guys want to go against an organization?!"

"And we may never be ready!" Blake shouted. "Our enemies aren't just going to sit around and wait for graduation day. They're out there, somewhere, planning their next move, and none of us know what it is, but it's coming! Whether we're ready or not!" Weiss stayed silent as she thought about the situation herself.

Ruby raises her hand up while doing some other gestures and said, "Okay, all in favor of becoming the youngest Huntresses and Huntsmen to single-handedly taking down a corrupt organization conspiring against the Kingdom of Vale... say aye."

Yang pumps her fist in the air and said, "Yes! I love it when you're feisty!"

"Well, I supposed it could be fun." Weiss answered.

"I'm all in! Right Neptune?!" Sun said excitedly.

Neptune looked uncomfortable as he said, "Uh...yeah! Sure."

"None of you said aye…" Ruby muttered.

Blake looked at Sun and Neptune and asked, "Are you guys sure?"

"Hell yeah! We can take it! Besides, we fought that bat monster from the dock. What will some faunus dudes do to us?" Sun exclaimed.

"Okay, I just want to be sure." Blake looked towards me and asked, "Kurokuu, are you on board?"

I took a deep breath and said, "If the Imagins are involved, then I'm going."

"Alright then, we're in this together!"

"Let's hatch a plan!" Ruby said excitedly.

"Yeah!" Yang said as she points at Ruby.

Ruby then gasps as she said, "I left the board game at the library!"

"We're doomed." Weiss proclaimed.

Ruby runs out the hall and said, "I'll be right back!"

"Alright, we all meet here tomorrow for our plans. Got it?" Blake asked.

"Got it!" We all said at the same time.

"Good."

I checked the time and saw that it was 5:54 P.M. "Well, I'm gonna meet up with my team. See you tomorrow!" We said our goodbyes as I walked back to my dorm. I opened the door and saw Deneb cooking some food for us on a hot plate burner, Shuichi is playing with the dartboard, and Mai is doing homework. "I'm back." I announced.

"Hey." Shuichi said while throwing the dart at the board, hitting a bullseye.

"Hey, Kurokuu." Mai said before focusing her attention back on her work.

" **Welcome back! I'm making dinner tonight for the team! It's salmon and miso soup!"** Deneb exclaimed before the oil splattered, causing him to flinch.

"Thanks Deneb, I'm not that hungry. I'm just gonna go to sleep." I said as I flopped on the bed.

"Kurokuu, are you okay? Are the Imagins causing you trouble again?" Mai asked worryingly.

"No, it's fine!" I reassured. "I'm just a little sore for some reason." Once I said that, I remembered the dream I had this morning. Was that really a dream? It felt so real. And what do they mean about the climax? And why did I see Urataros in my body? I looked over to Shuichi and asked, "Hey, did you and Deneb, along with Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros, enter the dorm in the middle of the night?"

Shuichi looked at me confusingly and said, "No, I never sleep here, remember? I sleep on the Zero-Liner. And Deneb's the same too. I don't know about Urataros and the others, maybe they know about something."

Deneb looked at me with concern and said **, "Are you eating and sleeping well? Maybe with all the training Shuichi is giving you, maybe I could tell him to-"**

"Deneb, my training isn't too intense. He's fine." Shuichi interrupted.

"Actually, nevermind. I'll just go back to sleep." I said before yawning loudly. As I laid my head down and slowly began drifting to sleep, I thought about what Blake said. Imagins working with the White Fang. Is it true? I sighed and said to myself quietly, "Guess I'll find out tomorrow."

* * *

" _Well, infiltrating was easier than expected." Mercury commented while doing curl ups._

 _Emerald is seen sharpening her sickles on her guns as she said, "Yeah, and to think someone like Ozpin would be more careful."_

" _It doesn't matter now. We've successfully infiltrated Beacon and now we can continue with our plans." Cinder said as she ignited fire at the palm of her hands._

 _As Cinder plays around with the fire, Emerald said, "On other news, aren't you worried about the rumor going around with the Imagins?"_

" _What rumor?" Cinder asked as the fire dissipate from her hand._

" _Well, there's this rumor going around that the Imagins are being killed off left and right by a team of ten, led by two armored fighters."_

 _Cinder stayed silent for a moment, creating a tense atmosphere. "Tell. Me. More."_

" _Um...The rumor says that the two armored fighters are named Den-O and Zeronos. They use a belts similar to Gaoh which allows them to transform. Although the identities of Den-O and Zeronos is unknown, the other eight have been identified. One girl has red hair and silver eyes, another has white hair and pale blue eyes, one with raven black hair and amber eyes, and another with blonde hair and lilac eyes. The other five are a boy with yellow hair and blue eyes, a girl with orange hair and turquoise eyes, a girl with red hair and emerald green eyes, a boy that has long black hair with a pink streak and pink eyes, and lastly, a woman wearing a white hood."_

 _Cinder ponders as she muttered, "A girl with red hair and silver eyes...And a girl with red hair, but emerald green eyes."_

 _Mercury grunted while doing his curl ups and said, "If you ask me...I'm pretty sure we can take them. I don't think...some kids...and two guys in armor...will stop us. I mean...Gaoh can basically handle all of them."_

 _Cinder kept muttering the details until she realized who it was, "That girl we ran into...and Pyrrha Nikos."_

" _Them? They've been the huge threat that the Imagins can't handle? Geez, how much of a pussy are the King's Imagins anyway?"_

" _Silence, Mercury. We don't need to anger the King. You and Emerald may have not met him, but he has the means to kill anyone and everyone if he wanted to."_

 _Mercury stopped doing his curl ups and asked, "Well, if he's so powerful like you said, then why isn't he doing the job and not us?"_

" _He would, but he said that he's been busy searching for someone."_

" _Who?" Emerald asked._

" _I don't know. He didn't tell anyone or the Queen." Cinder replied._

" _I don't know about you, but that 'King' guy seems a little bit fishy don't you think?" Mercury asked as he grabbed a towel to wipe the sweat off his face._

" _It doesn't matter, he's not the point. The point is that I have a new assignment for you and Emerald."_

" _Well, whoop de doo! What is it now?" Mercury said before being elbowed in the stomach by Emerald._

 _Emerald cleared her throat and asked, "What is the new assignment now?"_

" _I want you two to get close with that girl we ran into and her friends." Cinder said as she reignited the flame in her hand. She slowly walked towards the both of them and said, "If what you said is true, then two of that girl's friends will have to be the Den-O and Zeronos. Once you find them, eliminate them. I don't want any complications interrupting our plans. Is that clear?"_

" _Yes, Cinder. We understand." Emerald said before bowing._

" _Good. Now get some rest, you'll need it." Cinder said as she turns off the lights in her dorm before blowing out the fire in her hand._

* * *

"So...bored…" I muttered as I beat my head against the table.

Weiss sighed and said, "Just a few more seconds." We stared at the clock as the second hand moves closer and closer. Once the second hand struck twelve, the bell rung.

As the students begin to leave, I stood from my seat and said, "Finally, Professor Port's class is over!"

"Tell me about it." Yang said as she stretched her arms out. "If we stayed in there for any longer, I might go crazy."

Ruby walked backwards while facing us and said, "Well, now class is over with. Who's ready for our super secret operation?!"

"Yep, but first we need to wear new clothes." Yang said.

"Why do we need new clothes?" I asked.

"Well, if the White Fang knows what we look like from what we wear, they would spot us instantly!"

Weiss then said, "I think they would spot us based on our features."

"Guys, it doesn't matter." Blake said. "If you want to wear some new clothes, then go right on ahead. It wouldn't make much of a difference."

"Okay, well, I'm gonna head back to my dorm and wear some new clothes so we don't get caught." I notified everyone.

"See? He gets me!" Yang said excitedly.

"Alright, don't take too long." Ruby said as we kept on walking to the dorm building. Once we arrived in our hall, we part ways temporarily as we entered our respective dorm. I entered inside and noticed that none of my teammates are here. Good, I don't think I want to get Mai and Shuichi involved in this. I walked over to my closet and took off my uniform. As I searched for something to wear, I briefly stared at the mirror and saw the large scar wound I got from Cardin's imagin from a few months back.

Man, I've gotten pretty far over the past few months. I never realized that so much time has passed ever since I started Beacon. I quickly forget about the past as I found something to wear. I decided to put on a gray v-neck with black jeans and black combat boots. I also decided to put on a camo green winter parka with fur around the hood. And to top it off, I put on my signature red muffler.

Satisfied of my choice of wardrobe, I was ready to leave my dorm until I heard a knock at the door. I walked over and opened to door, revealing Sun and Neptune. "Hey, Kurokuu! You ready? We're just waiting up for the girls." Sun asked.

"Yeah, got everything I need." I replied as I showed them my rider pass.

Sun stares at me, more specifically, my clothes. "Is that a bit much? I know summer is about to end soon and all, but is the winter parka necessary?"

I smirked and said, "Well, better to wear something than nothing, Sun."

"Ooh, he's got you there." Neptune said while covering his mouth, trying not to laugh in front of Sun.

"Hey! Vacuo is a very hot place, so I'm not much of a winter clothes guy." Sun said.

"Alright, alright. I'll drop it. Let's just go meet everyone." I said to Sun and Neptune as we left the dorm. We stood in front of Team RWBY's door and knocked on it. "Hey, guys. Are you ready?"

"Yeah! You can come in now!" I hear Ruby saying. Sun, Neptune, and I entered inside as we see Team RWBY in their alternate attires. Ruby is wearing a long-sleeve, light gray shirt with black belted cuffs near the ends of the sleeves. Over top of the gray shirt is a black pinafore with two vertical lines of red stitching that resemble the lacing on a corset. She wears a red skirt with a large print of her emblem on the side of it in black and black tulle underneath. Her stockings and shoes remain the same as her Original outfit, except the boots no longer have red trim around the top. A few pieces of metal arranged in an abstract shape are attached to her sleeve on her left shoulder, and her hooded cloak has been wrapped around her neck similar to a scarf before hanging down her back.

Weiss is wearing a white, double-breasted jacket with black piping, cuffs and buttons over a white, pleated full skirt with black lace trim. She also wears a pair of white, thigh high boots with black heels and lace-topped black stockings

Blake is wearing a white, v-neck, zip-up crop shirt with a black hem and three quarter sleeves. Her emblem is printed in off-white on the left side of the shirt. She wears black pants that have a vertical gray stripe on the outer side of each leg and a black belt. Attached to the rear of the belt is a black piece of fabric that covers her from hip to hip. Underneath this is a longer, translucent, purple piece of fabric. She also wears black high-heel boots with two straps and buckles and purple undersoles, reaching to mid-calf. She retains the black ribbons on her forearms and her black bow.

And lastly, Yang is wearing a deep-collared cream vest worn over a low cut black shirt; both are covered by a dark gray shrug with a raised collar, three quarter sleeves adorned with a single black stripe down the outside of each sleeve, and gold cuffs. A black miniskirt is worn under the cream vest. A pair of crooked black belts with gold accents are slung around her hip, with a purple piece of fabric attached to the left-rear section of the lower belt. She wears thigh high stockings attached to her miniskirt by garter-belts on the front and back of each thigh, decorated with four golden studs above her knee and her emblem on the outside of each thigh in gold. She also wears black ankle boots with multiple buckles and white ribbons on the back tied in a bow. Around her neck is a purple pendant set in silver.

We stayed quiet for a bit, stunned by how they look. "So, what do you guys think?" Yang asked while posing.

"Yang, whatever happened to wearing something undercover?" I asked.

"Hey, I said we need to wear different clothes so we don't get spotted. And what's wrong with being undercover while looking good?"

"Well, she's not wrong." Sun said.

"I guess. Nice outfits by the way." I complimented Team RWBY.

"Thanks, Kurokuu. Anyways, today's the day! The investigation begins!" Ruby said excitedly as she hops off her bunk bed. I'm surprise that the bunk beds are still hanging all this time.

Weiss sighed and said sarcastically, "I'm glad you're taking this seriously."

"Hey, we've got a plan! That's... moderately serious." Yang said.

"Right!" Ruby looks at all of us and said, "Okay, here's the role I'm gonna assign to everyone." She looks at Blake and Sun. "Blake, you and Sun will go to one of the White Fang's faction meetings you mentioned. Try to get some info on them."

"You got it!" Sun said excitedly as he wrapped his arms around Blake, who immediately brushed him off.

"I have an old friend on the shady side of town that typically knows everything going on in Vale. Getting information out of him shouldn't be too hard…" Yang said.

"Great! We'll meet up with Yang to discuss about the info we got." Ruby said before looking at me and Weiss. She had this weird eagerness expression on her face as she said, "And now, Weiss and Kurokuu! We will go to the CCT tower to check the Schnee records for any dust robberies or inconsistencies."

"Got it. This should be easy since I'm in the family, it shouldn't be hard to acquire the info." Weiss said. "But, why do we need three people in order to do this job? I think me and Kurokuu can handle it."

"No reason. Can't a girl hang out with her BFF?!" Ruby asked before winking at Sun and Neptune, who in return gave her a thumbs up. Okay, what is going on between them now? Why are they acting like this? "Anyways, are we clear with our roles?"

We all nodded except Neptune. "Wait, I didn't get a role."

"Uh...you could go with Yang!" Ruby said with slight panic in her voice.

Yang stared at Neptune, who gave her a bright smile. She sighed and said, "Fine, he can come with me."

"Alright gang, let's do this!" Ruby said as she raised her fist in the air.

* * *

 _Meanwhile on the Den-Liner, The taros were off doing their own things. Ryutaros is drawing while listening to music, Kintaros is snoozing away, and Urataros is enjoying his cup of coffee. But, a certain red imagins seemed to be in a grumpy mood._

 _Urataros picks up on this and asked_ _ **, "Senpai, what's wrong?"**_

 _Momotaros growled before taking a sip of his coffee._ " _ **Oi, Kame. Do you ever feel like we're stuck on the sidelines?"**_ _Momotaros asked._

" _ **What do you mean?"**_

 _Momotaros stood up and said_ _ **, "I mean, that we barely do anything unless we get called upon by Kurokuu! And most of the time, we just sit here and wait."**_

 _Urataros sighed and said_ _ **, "Well, most of the time when we try possessing Kurokuu outside of fighting, we end up getting our butts handed to us by Mai."**_

" _ **Yeah, but I just feel so irrelevant!"**_ _Momotaros said before gulping down the rest of the coffee._

" _ **Why are you complaining? You get to go out and fight Imagins like what you wanted."**_

 _Momotaros sits back down and said_ _ **, "I guess you're right... Being stuck here for hours on end is making me uncomfortable."**_ _He looks over to Naomi, who was cleaning her counter._ " _ **Oi! Naomi! My special coffee please!"**_

" _Hai!" Naomi said before making the coffee._

 _Urataros pats Momotaros on the shoulder and said_ _ **, "Don't worry, Senpai. Our time will come soon."**_

" _ **What makes you say that?"**_

 _Urataros taps his temple_ _ **, "A man's intuition."**_

* * *

"Woooow! I forget how big the Transmit tower looks up close!" Ruby said excitedly as she stared at the CCT Tower.

"You should see the one in Atlas!" Weiss said.

As I stare at the tower, I asked Weiss, "This is the first tower right?"

"Correct. Atlas developed the Cross Continental Transmit System to allow the four kingdoms to communicate with one another. It was their gift to the world after the Great War."

Ruby stares at Weiss and said while pretending to act all high and mighty, "Oooh, look at me! My name's Weiss! I know facts! I'm rich!"

"Rubes, stop teasing Weiss." I said while patting her head.

"Yeah, don't be a pest! Besides, the only reason we're here is because you like the tower so much! We could have just as easily made a call from the library!" Weiss snapped.

"I know, but it's so coool! Ooh, I'm going to take a picture!" Ruby said as she pulled her scroll out, only to drop it. I was about to pick up the scroll for her until I saw a pair of feet in my line of sight. I look up and saw Penny standing in front of me.

"Penny?" I asked while picking up the scroll for Ruby. "It's been awhile. How are you?"

Penny looked surprised as the only things that came out of her mouth was, "Uhhh…"

Ruby jumped in and asked, "Where have you been? We haven't seen you since that night at the docks!"

Penny looked panicked as she said, " S-Sorry. I think you're confused." Penny then started hiccuping. "Uh... I've got to go!" She then quickly turns and walks away.

"What was that all about?" Weiss asked Ruby.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out." Ruby starts walking in Penny's direction as she shouts back to Weiss, "You go make your call! I'll meet up with you later!"

"Wait!" Weiss shouted as she tried chasing after her, but I stopped her.

I grabbed her shoulder and said, "Weiss, this is something Ruby needs to do. For now, let's just do what we need to do." Weiss looked back at Ruby before looking back at me.

She sighed and said reluctantly, "Alright, let's just get this over with." I nodded as we both entered inside the CCT Tower. The lobby has a dark interior, but the room is lit up with green glowing lights. Weiss and I avoided the central terminal and went straight to the elevator.

We entered inside the elevator as the door closes. Silence filled the room until a computerized voice came on. "Hello. Welcome to CCT. How may I help you?" The CCT AI asked.

"We would like to go go to the communication rooms, please." Weiss said.

"Absolutely. Could you please place your scrolls on the terminal to verify your identities?" Weiss and I placed our scrolls over the scanner as it read our identities. "Thank you, Miss. Schnee, Mr. Akarui."

As the elevator ascended to our desired location, I noticed Weiss shifting her expression from pleasant to serious. I tapped on her shoulder and asked, "Hey, Weiss. Are you okay?"

"Me? I'm fine. It's nothing." Weiss said as she rubbed her elbow awkwardly.

"You sure? You can talk to me, you know?"

"It's fine, Kurokuu. You don't need to worry about me, okay?"

"Alright, I'll stop prying." The elevator door opens as Weiss and I stepped out. We walked towards the front desk which already has a holographic secretary ready for us.

"Welcome to the Beacon Cross Continental Transmit center. How may I help you?" The holographic secretary asked.

"I need to make a call to Schnee Company World Headquarters in Atlas." Weiss answered.

"Absolutely. If you could head over to terminal three, I'll patch you through."

"Thank you."

"And what about you, young man? How may I help you?"

"Uhh…" What should I do? I mean, there's no point for me being here. Wait, I know! "I would like to make a call to my sister, Kasumi."

"I see. Follow Miss. Schnee to terminal three and I'll patch you through as well."

"Thank you." I said before walking with Weiss. We walked towards terminal three as we search for our assigned computer. Weiss and I sat across from each other as we sat down and waited for our call. The screen was blank as the dial tone played in the back. Then, the screen turned on as I saw Kasumi in her room with a towel wrapped around her head. "Hey, sis."

Kasumi looked excited as she said, "Kurokuu! It's been awhile! How are you? Are you eating well?"

"Yes, I'm doing good. And yes, I'm also eating well. How are things back at the cafe?" I asked.

"Busy as usual. It's been a little bit hard without your help, but I managed. So, how's Beacon?"

"It's good. I'm doing well in my classes and I'm getting a little bit better at fighting. I ran into...a few problems, but my friends helped me through. Oh, and I'm on a new team now."

"That's wonderful! I'm so glad you're doing well." Kasumi said with a smile on her face. Then her expression changed from happy to sly. "So, did anything else happen?"

"Um...not really." Okay, what is Kasumi doing to me right now? "Just running some errands with my friends is all."

"Oh, I see. And is... Weiss with you?"

"Uhh...yeah. She's making a call to her company right now."

"Okay, did she say anything to you about something?"

"Um...you'll have to be a bit more specific than something." Okay, why is Kasumi asking me these questions? Especially about Weiss.

"Did she...confess about anything?"

I sighed stressfully and said, "Kasumi, what're you talking about. Can you please get to the point, I can't understand what you're talking about if you keep on being vague."

She groaned and said, "Did Weiss say she likes you yet or not?"

My eyes widen as I felt blood rushing to my head. "Weiss? Liking me?! No! She didn't say that at all!" What? Why would Kasumi ask me about that?! Does she think Weiss likes me?

Kasumi sighed sadly and said, "That's too bad. I guess she didn't take my advice."

"What..advice?"

Kasumi takes off the towel on her head, allowing her wet hair to flop down to her shoulders. "Well, back at the bathhouse incident, I asked Weiss about what she thought about you. And not to my surprise, she said she likes and cares about you very much!"

"Weiss...likes me?" I said to myself. Weiss actually...likes me? I felt my heart beating faster as I began blushing hard.

"Heck yeah, she does! So being the best sister I am, I gave her my advice. Asham that she didn't tell you yet." Kasumi said as she blow dries her hair. I was still stunned by the news as she said, "And it looks like you like her too."

"Wait, me? I don't like Weiss! She's just a really good friend!" I denied.

Kasumi sighed once more and said, "Kurokuu, I known you for seventeen years of my life. I helped raise you with our grandparents. So I know when my little brother has a crush on someone. I mean, remember that crush you had back when you were in middle school?"

"Kasumi, I thought you wouldn't talk about that!"

"Besides that, the point is that Weiss likes you and you like her. You can deny it all you want, but deep down, I know you feel that way about her." I stayed silent as I thought about what she said. Is she right? Do I really feel this way about her? I hear Kasumi sigh and said, "I understand that all of this is new to you, but don't worry. You'll understand soon when you take the first step."

I took a deep breath and said, "Kasumi...thanks for the talk."

"No problem. I have to go, remember to be safe, okay?"

"Yeah, I will."

"Okay, Kurokuu! Bye! I love you!"

"Love you too, sis. Bye." I said before ending the call. I slumped in my chair as I kept on thinking about all of this. Why is all of this so complicated? Then I felt a hand touch my shoulder, causing me to jump up from my seat. "Gah!"

"Kurokuu? What's wrong?" Weiss asked.

"Oh...it's nothing…" I muttered while not trying not to making eye contact.

"Are you sure? You seem a bit...nervous."

"It's nothing, Weiss. Really. Anyways, did you get the info?" I asked, trying to change the topic.

"Yeah, we got what we needed. Let's head back with the others." Weiss said as we made our way towards the elevator. As we kept walking, I stared at Weiss while thinking about what Kasumi said again. Why does Weiss like someone like me? What did I ever do that made her like me?

* * *

" _This is it." Blake said as she peeks over the corner to see a pair of horned faunus ushered into a building by a bearded man._

" _You sure?" Sun asked, only for Blake to glare at him while unfastening her bow. "_ _Y'know, I'm just gonna take your word for it."_

 _The two entered the building with hallways filled with crates as the pair from before are being welcomed by a White Fang grunt. "New recruits, keep to the right!" The grunt said._

 _As they were about to enter, Sun asked while holding his mask, "I don't get it. If you believe what you're doing is right, why hide who you are?_

" _The masks are a symbol. Humanity wanted to make monsters out of us, so we chose to don the faces of monsters." Blake answered._

" _Grimm masks... That's kind of dark."_

" _So was the guy who started it." Blake said as she puts on her mask._

" _Always sunshine and rainbows with you…" Sun said before following her lead._

 _The new recruits to the White Fang are moving in a line to the side of the stage, a mere few dozen compared to the hundreds of white-vested, black-hooded soldiers to their left and up above in the balconies. Blake and Sun look around themselves when they stop, and a fully-masked man with tattoos standing starts speaking before the large sheet emblazoned with the bloody wolf and claw marks._

" _Thank you all for coming. For those of you who are joining us for the first time tonight, allow me to introduce a very special comrade of ours! I can assure you, he is the key to obtaining what we have fought for for so long!" The lieutenant said as he walks off stage._

 _And out from the shadows, Gaoh makes his presence known. As expected, the new recruits we're not happy with a human leading them and began booing. "What's a human doing here?!" An antler faunus shouted._

 _Gao groaned as he chugged a whole bottle of whiskey down. He then grabbed one of the grunt's gun and fired off a round, shutting them all up. "Good, you're all finally quiet. Hello, my name is Gaoh and as I was saying before being rudely interrupted by you guys. Yes, I understand many of you are on the fence about me leading. But I can tell you this, I have the means to not only end humanity, but change it to our image."_

" _Is this gonna go anywhere?" Sun asked as he and Blake stare at Gaoh. Gaoh reached into his pockets and pulled out the Infinity Ticket._

 _Gaoh showed the ticket off and said, "With this ticket along with a certain pass, we could rule all of time and no one would stand in our way. Imagine it, we could change history. Make it to where Faunus will dominate the humans as their species slowly die off. Right now, we have a new operation at the southeast. I understand many of you think that this is absurd, but if you want to see change happen, join us and we can rid this world of humans!" The crowd seemed to be on board as they all began cheering, except for Blake and Sun. "Now that we have the speech out of the way, let's get on with the second task of the evening. Neo, release them."_

 _Standing at stage right, a girl, now named Neo, is seen holding a rope. Neo has a pale complexion with pink and brown eyes and pink and brown hair with a few streaks of white hidden in the pink side of her hair. She is wearing a white jacket with a pink interior, brown pants, black gloves, and black and white boots with very high heels. Under her jacket is a brown corset, curved in the middle and at the bottom, exposing her hips. She also wears a multitude of necklaces, which hang haphazardly around her neck._

 _She gave everyone in the audience a wink as she pulled the ropes. The ceiling opened, revealing the sky and several yellow orbs floating around. The new recruits were confused until all the orbs possessed them, except for Blake and Sun. Sand came off of them as it slowly formed into the mole imagins._

 _Everyone started to panic, but Gaoh stepped in and said, "Stop! They mean no harm. They will be our comrades. So if you want a fighting chance, tell them your wish and they'll be there to protect you." The crowd seemed to calm down as they began forming contracts with the imagins._

 _Sun slowly started to panic as he sees Gaoh staring at them. "What are we gonna do?"_

" _I'm thinking." Blake said as she looks for a way out. Gaoh stares at them until he tells some grunts to check them._

" _He sees us." Sun said as he pretended to be casual._

 _Blake looked around until she saw a power box on the wall. "He can't see in the dark." Blake said before shooting the box, causing the building to go out._

" _Don't let them get away! After them!" Gaoh commanded._

" _Sun! The window!" Blake shouted as she and Sun navigated through the building._

" _Stop them!" Gaoh shouted as half of the mole imagins chased after them._

 _Sun and Blake quickly jumped out the window with the mole imagins following after them._ " _ **WE'RE COMING FOR YOU!"**_ _The mole imagins shouted in unison._

 _Sun and Blake jumped on a car as a boost to get on the rooftops. But, the mole imagins' agility matched theirs as they continued to follow after them on the rooftops. "So you wouldn't happen to have... oh, I don't know... some form of backup?!" Sun shouted._

" _On it!" Blake replied as she reached for her scroll._

* * *

As we entered the elevator, my scroll starting ringing. Weiss pulled her's out as well as the caller was from Blake. Weiss answered the call and heard Blake saying, "Everyone! If you can hear me, we need back-"

"HELLLLLLLP!" I hear Sun shouting. "WE GOT HORDES OF THOSE MONSTERS AFTER US!"

We looked at each other as we both said at the same time, "Imagins." The elevator finally descended down to the lobby as me and Weiss quickly rushed outside.

Once we exited the building, Weiss asked, "How are we supposed to get there in time?"

"Hold up!" I shouted before snapping my fingers. Right on cue, the Den-Bird came in on auto pilot. I quickly hopped on and put on my helmet and gloves. "Come on, Weiss! Let's get going!"

"How did you...do that?" Weiss asked.

"You learn a lot from Ryutaros." I answered as I gave her a back up helmet. "Now, hurry up!" Weiss nodded as she grabbed the helmet and wore it on her head. As I revved the bike up, I felt Weiss' arms around my waist, which caused my to blush a little. Damn it, brain! Not the time! Then, the bike started as we drove our way to their location on the scroll.

As I drove along the road, Weiss shouted, "Kurokuu! The highway!" I looked over to the highway and saw Blake and Sun jumping on car after car, trying to flee from the horde of imagins.

"Hold on tight!" I shouted as I drove even faster. I felt Weiss clutching onto me as we drove on ahead. I look to my right and saw a lane leading to the highway where Sun and Blake are. I turned right and stopped the bike as we see Sun and Blake, along with Yang and Neptune on a motorcycle, dispatching some of the imagins.

Weiss called Blake and said, "Blake, I'm in position." Weiss tapped my shoulder, signalling me to go. I revved the Den-Bird as we drove off our highway and into the traffic jam. Weiss hops off the Den-Bird as she pulls out Myrtenaster. She spins the chamber around before stabbing her weapon in the ground, freezing all of the imagins in place.

"Neptune, now!" I hear Sun shouting. I looked over to Neptune as he was wielding some sort of guandao before shifting it into a rail gun. He charged the shot before firing it at the imagins, reducing them to ashes. "Woohoo! Awesome job, Neptune!"

Neptune gave a thumbs up until a huge wave of orange energy knocked all of us off the highway and onto the ground. As we descended to the ground, I grabbed onto Weiss and turn my back towards the ground, ready to take the fall for her. Man, isn't this deja vu all over again. "Hold on!" I shouted as my body slammed into the concrete ground.

I groaned in pain as Weiss said, "Kurokuu! Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine, Weiss. Let's regroup with the others." Weiss agreed as she helped me up. We looked for Blake and the others. "Blake! Sun! Where are you?!"

"Over here!" Sun shouted as he helped Blake up. "Where's Yang and Neptune?"

"Right over here." Yang said as she carried Neptune over her shoulder.

"GUYS, ARE YOU ALL ALRIGHT?!" Ruby shouted as she ran over to us. "I saw you guys get knocked off the highway!"

"Yeah, but what caused that?" I asked everyone.

"That would be me." I looked over to the source of the voice as we see some guy wearing a long, leather coat. "I don't know who you kids are, but I'm not letting any of you escape."

"Blake, who is this guy?"

"Gaoh." Blake answered.

"Gaoh?" I looked back over to the man, now named Gaoh, and asked, "What're you planning to do with the White Fang? What's your plans?"

"Like I would tell you my plans. Now enough talk, it's lunchtime." Gaoh said as he pulled out a sword stained with dry blood.

Everyone began preparing themselves as Ruby asked me, "You ready?"

I pulled out the Den-O belt, getting a surprised reaction from Gaoh. "Ready as I'll ever be." I replied as I wrapped the belt around my waist. As I did that, the Taros all appeared in their sand form. "Guys, what're you doing here?"

" **Heh, you think I'm gonna miss this fight? No way!"** Momotaros said as he cracked his knuckles.

Urataros cleared his throat and said **, "We came when Momotaros smelled someone imagins around. Looks like you already handled it. So guess we're here to help stop him."**

"Thanks, guys. I think we might need all the help we can get. This Gaoh guy seems dangerous." I warned them.

Kintaros cracked his neck and said **, "Don't worry! We can stop him, Kurokuu-dono!"**

" **Yay! Let's fight!"** Ryutaros said excitedly.

"Alright. Kintaros, you're up." I said as I pressed the yellow button.

" **Yes! IKUZE!"** Kintaros said before jumping in my body. " **Henshin!"** He swipes the pass over the belt as it called out.

 **AXE FORM**

The armor materialized as the yellow armor pieces and faceplate attach with it. It started raining tissue papers as Kintaros cracked his neck and said **, "My strength will make you cry!"**

"Huh, you're the Den-O? This should be interesting." Gaoh said before charging straight at us.

* * *

 _Meanwhile in the dorm of Team MSKD, Mai is seen pacing back and forth. Shuichi, on the other hand, seemed much more relaxed. "Mai, could you stop pacing?" Shuichi asked._

" _We haven't seen Kurokuu all day! Don't you think that's kinda fishy?" Mai asked worryingly._

 _Shuichi sits up from his bed and said, "Look, I'm pretty sure he's fine. He must've gone out with Team RWBY, you know how he is."_

" _Yeah, but it's almost 9:00! He should be back by now."_

 _Deneb was making dinner for everyone as he said_ _ **, "I'm sure he's-"**_ _He cuts himself off as he sensed something._ " _ **Imagins!"**_

" _Where?!" Shuichi asked._

" _ **Somewhere in Vale. The highways perhaps."**_ _Deneb answered._

 _Shuichi growled as he pulled out the Zeronos belt. "Damn, what is Kurokuu doing right now?!" He wrapped the belt around him before pulling a card out from the holder. He was to transform until he realized that he's running out of cards. Shuichi looks over to Mai and said, "Come on! We gotta get to them fast!"_

" _Already on that!" Mai shouted as she grabbed her quiver and bow. Shuichi, Mai, and Deneb open the closet door to enter the Sands of Time._

* * *

Gaoh charged straight at Kintaros with a vertical strike, but Kintaros manages to block the attack with his axe and kicks Gaoh back. Ruby pulled out Crescent Rose and said, "Weiss, Yang! Freezerburn!"

Weiss covered the floor with ice as Yang jumped in the air and punched the ice, creating a mist for us to hide in. Kintaros and the imagins moved back along with Sun and Neptune. Urataros and Ryutaros looks at them as Urataros said **, "Sorry, but we're gonna have to do this."**

Sun and Neptune were confused by what Urataros meant until he and Ryutaros possessed them both. Sun's appearance changed as his eyes turned blue and he wore glasses. And Neptune's appearance changed as some strands of purple hair dangling in front of his face, a brown cap with purple dye, and his eyes turned purple.

Urataros, now in Sun's body, said **, "Hmm...this body is not that bad. I can reel in so many girls with this look."**

Momotaros growled and said **, "OI, WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?"**

Ryutaros, now in Neptune's body, smirked and said **, "Well, looks like you're gonna have to wait!"** Ryutaros then pulled out Neptune's weapon and charged straight into battle.

Urataros combined Ryui Bang and Jingu Bang together into its bo staff form and said before charging into battle **, "Sorry, Senpai."**

Kintaros charges in and attacks Gaoh from behind, but he anticipated that and blocked the attack with his sword. But what he didn't realize was that Blake and Weiss were about to tag team from behind. Blake was about to get in the first strike, but Gaoh shifted his attention towards them and blocked Blake's attack and kicks Weiss back. Gaoh does a horizontal strike on Blake before doing and upward slash, knocking her back with Weiss. Gaoh was ready to attack Kintaros until Urataros and Ryutaros rushed in.

Urataros hits Gaoh in the face before whacking him on the side. He then goes in for a thrust, but Gaoh deflects the attack with his sword and slashed Urataros across the chest. Ryutaros took over as he fired the rail gun at Gaoh, who quickly dodges out of the way. Ryutaros then shifts the rail gun into a trident and thrusts it at Gaoh. But he quickly moves to the left and grabs the shaft of the weapon. Ryutaros tried to yank his weapon out of Gaoh's clutches, but Gaoh was much stronger as he yanked it out of Ryutaros' hands and slashes him across the chest.

"Pathetic." Gaoh said as the mists clears up. But once the mist clears up, Ruby charges straight in and unleashes a series of slashes on Gaoh, who managed to keep up with her. "Not bad, kiddo. But you'll have to do better than that!" Gaoh parries the next attack before thrusting his sword at Ruby, who quickly rolls out of the way.

Ruby quickly gets up and said, "Blake, ladybug!" Gaoh turned around as he sees Blake charging at him. Ruby smirks as she and Blake slashed Gaoh at the same time, wounding him. "Yang, Kintaros! Goldilocks!" Kintaros and Yang nodded as they charged head on. Gaoh goes in for a horizontal strike, but Kintaros parries the attack and does a downward strike. Gaoh stumbled back as he held his wounds. But he didn't get time to recover as Yang jumped on Kintaros' shoulder and punched Gaoh in the face. Instead of crying in pain, he smirks as he grabs Yang's arm and began draining her aura.

Yang yelled in pain as her aura was being sapped out of her and into Gaoh, causing his wounds to quickly healed up. "Thanks for the meal." Gaoh said before kicking Yang away.

"Yang!" Blake shouted as she swooped in and helped Yang up. "Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine...He somehow sapped most of my aura. I can't... go all out." Yang said while breathing heavily.

Ruby stared at Gaoh and said, "We need to focus on ranged attacks. We can't let him get close to us."

" **Then, this scenario isn't gonna be good for me. Ryuta, you're up!"** Kintaros called out.

" **Yay! My turn!"** Ryutaros shouted before jumping into me, pushing Kintaros out.

 **GUN FORM**

The armor pieces disconnect as it rearranges itself into the Gun Form armor. The faceplate disappeared as a the Gun Form faceplate attaches on with the helmet. Ryutaros changed the axe into a gun and said **, "Mind if I defeat you? I can't hear you!"** Ryutaros and Ruby then proceeded to fire at Gaoh, keeping him at bay.

As they kept on firing, Ruby shouted, "Weiss, Urataros! Atlas Sea!" Urataros nodded as he jumps out of Sun's body and into Neptune's. Urataros gets up and turns the trident into a guandao as Weiss summons a glyph under his feet. The glyph sent Urataros launching towards Gaoh, who was caught off-guard. He slashed Gaoh over and over again until he kicks him back. As Gaoh was about to get up, Urataros held the guandao like spear and threw it at him, knocking him back down to the ground.

The glyph pulled Urataros back towards Weiss and the others. They watch as Gaoh slowly stood back up again. Momotaros growled and shouted **, "Are you kidding me?! He's still getting up?! How much of blondie's aura did he take?!"**

"Alright, I have a plan to finish it. Momotaros, we need you for it."

" **Alright! Let's do it!"** Momotaros said before facing Ryutaros. " **OI, BRAT! MY TURN!"** Momotaros proceeded to jump inside of me, kicking Ryutaros out.

" **OW! THAT HURTS!"** Ryutaros shouted as the belt called out.

 **SWORD FORM**

The armor pieces rearranged itself once more into the Sword Form armor. The faceplate disappeared as the Sword Form faceplate attaches on with the helmet. Momotaros rolled his shoulders and said while doing his signature pose **, "Ore sanjou!"**

Ruby points her weapon at Gaoh as she said, "Weiss! Ice flower!" Weiss nodded as she summoned glyphs at the barrel of Crescent Rose. Ruby pulled the trigger as it fired an ice round at Gaoh, encasing his legs in ice. "Momotaros, finish him off!"

" **Alright! Get ready for my hissatsu!"** Momotaros placed the pass in front of the belt as it called out.

 **FULL CHARGE**

Lasers entered the hilt of the sword as the blade glowed bright red. " **This is my hissatsu attack! Part six!"** The blade flew off the hilt as Momotaros raised the hilt and slashed downwards. But instead of the blade hitting Gaoh, the blade hit an umbrella as Neo came in just in time to save Gaoh from his demise. " **Are you kidding me?!"** Neo gave him a wink as Momotaros attempts to attack them again, but instead of hitting Neo and Gaoh, he destroyed an image of them as if it was made out of a mirror. " **DAMN IT!"** Momotaros shouted.

"So I guess he got a new henchman…" Yang said grumpily.

"Yeah, I guess she really made our plans... fall apart?" Weiss said with a smile.

Ruby and Ryutaros giggled while Momotaros, Urataros, and Blake just cringed from the joke. "No. Just no." Yang said.

"What- But, you do it!" Weiss said angrily.

"There's a time and a place for jokes."

"Was this not it?"

"No, it just wasn't very good."

"Well, at least I'm trying!"

Momotaros groaned as he said **, "I can't believe that ice cream head girl save him."**

" **It's fine. We'll probably run into him later."** Urataros reassured.

" **Whatever."** Momotaros said as he disconnected the belt, causing the armor to dematerialize. Urataros jumped out of Neptune's body, allowing him to fully take control again.

Neptune groaned in pain as he said, "Woah...that felt weird."

"Tell me about it!" Sun said as he cracked his neck around. "That happened to me twice now!"

" **Sorry about that. We just wanted to join in."** Urataros apologized.

"It's alright. Next time, try to give us a heads up before doing that."

"So...what now?" I asked everyone.

Urataros got Momotaros and the others together and said **,** " **Well, we should get back to the Den-Liner before Mai comes. I don't want to deal with her aga-"**

"KUROKUU!" We all turned to the source of the sound as we see Deneb, Shuichi, and Mai running towards us. "Are you guys okay?! Where's the imagins?!" Mai asked.

"We already dealt with it." I answered.

Shuichi walked up to me and asked, "Where the hell were you?"

"Uhh…" I looked over to Team RWBY to see what they want me to say.

Ruby chuckled nervously and said, "Well, we kinda went on an operation mission to find out what the White Fang are planning."

Shuichi sighed and said to Ruby worryingly, "Ruby, this is dangerous. You should've just let Ozpin and the VPD handle it."

"But, we did learn about some info from them." Blake said. "Someone is taking over Roman's operation. And he's seems to know about this whole Imagin stuff. We even saw him holding some kind of ticket."

Mai looked at Blake intensely and said, "The ticket. What does it look like?"

"It was a red ticket with the word 'Infinity' on it."

Mai ponders as she said, "I need to go talk to Ozpin about this. And speaking of Ozpin, you guys will have a talk with him as well."

"WHAT!" We all shouted in unison.

"You heard me! Ozpin called me earlier and he already knows you guys are out here! So, he wants me to bring you all back for a talk."

"Oh, come on! But-!" Yang pleaded.

"No buts! Either that or you'll have to talk to Glynda instead!" We all immediately quiet down once she mentioned Professor Goodwitch. "Let's go home." Mai said as we made our way through the Sands of Time. This will be a long night.

* * *

 _Neo and Gaoh were back at the White Fang warehouse as Neo is slowly chipping the ice off of him. "Great, can't believe some kids actually stopped me." Neo looks at him and laughs silently. "Oh, shut up. I didn't see you go after them."_

 _Neo did some sign languages to communicate, 'You're the one who told me to stay behind and watch over the meeting. You're lucky that I came in time or you would've died.'_

" _Whatever, the point is now that we have some trouble in our hands. Especially with the Den-O."_

' _Den-O? You mean that armored guy?'_

" _Yeah, him. If we don't take him out soon, he'll become a thorn in my side soon." Neo broke the last chunk of ice as Gaoh moved around freely. "Which gives me more reasons to find the Gaoh-Liner soon." He pulls out the ticket and stares at it. "We need to get our hands on the Master Pass soon."_

* * *

We waited silently in elevator as Mai and Shuichi lead us to Professor Ozpin's office. Deneb brought Sun and Neptune to the nurse's office to get healed up since they took most of the hits. As silence filled the air, I thought about what Blake said. What is Gaoh's true plans? And what is he planning to use with a ticket? The elevator door opens as Shuichi said, "Have fun."

I sighed as me and Team RWBY walked into the office. Professor Ozpin sat in his chair as he said, "Hello, Team RWBY. Kurokuu. I see you had an...eventful evening."

Professor Goodwitch came up to us and scolded, "What you children did is inexcusable and dangerous! I should-"

"Glynda, please. I'll handle it."

"But, sir! Not only they got back past curfew, they endangered themselves and the people around them! And they caused damages on the highway!"

"Like I said...I'll handle it, Glynda. Please, rest for the evening." Professor Ozpin reassured. Professor Goodwitch looked furious until she calmed down and nodded. She walked towards the elevator and entered inside, leaving us alone with Professor Ozpin. "Now onto business. I understand you all want to help put a stop to the White Fang. But please, let the adults handle this situation. As headmaster, it's my job to make sure to take care of all my students."

"Yes, Professor Ozpin. We're sorry." Ruby apologized.

"You are all forgiven. But, I can't let this go by unnoticed. So...you'll all be facing punishments." We kept our heads down as he continued. "Team RWBY and Kurokuu, you'll all be serving detention for the rest of the year with Professor Goodwitch."

"WHAT!" We all shouted in unison. Oh Oum, I'm starting to regret this now. Professor Goodwitch is already scary in class, now we'll have to see her in detention?! And for a whole year no less!

"And I'll being notifying your parent or guardian about this as well." Professor Ozpin said. "And since the dance is coming up, I'll need some assistance. Team RWBY, you'll be setting up the dance. Decorations and all." Team RWBY groaned in disappointment, except Weiss, who seemed okay with it. "That is all Team RWBY, you may leave now."

"Not like this…" Ruby muttered as she and her team left.

I was about to leave with them until I heard Ozpin saying, "I'm not done with you yet, Mr. Akarui." I froze in place before walking back to Professor Ozpin.

"Professor...I thought I was helping with decorations for the dance?" I asked nervously.

"I already gave that job for Team RWBY. I have a different task for you." Professor Ozpin said before taking a sip.

I started feeling uneasy as I asked him, "Um...what do you want me to do?"

"I hear you have a particular set of skills that could benefit me."

"And what would that be?" Professor Ozpin stayed silent as he stared at me with his smile. Oh Oum, save me.

* * *

(A/N:) Well, that was fun. Anyways, I decided to add the scene between Kasumi and Kurokuu because one, she hasn't appeared in a while so I thought using her would be a good idea. And two, I need Kasumi so she could help Kurokuu to realize how he feels about Weiss. And speaking of Weiss, next chapter is THE DANCE! The one part of Volume 2 where we get shipping moments! (Go Arkos!) So I'll do the best I can to write the next chapter since school is starting soon for me.

As always, leave a review on what you thought about this chapter and I hope you enjoy!


	17. Chapter 17: The School Dance!

(A/N:) Hey everyone, welcome back to a very special chapter that I've been waiting for since I started writing this series. The dance! DUN! DUN! DUN! I was so hyped when I was writing this chapter. And I finished it much quicker than most other chapters. But, before we begin, I would like to say something... This story... HAS REACHED OVER 10,000 VIEWS! Oh my God, when I saw that one day, I was so blown away by that! And I just want to say to all of you readers, thank you. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my story. I know I'm not the best writer, but ever since I wrote this series, I've grown drastically from it. I mean, if you read my old first chapter, yikes! Anyways, I just want to say thank you to all of you guys and I hope you all enjoy.

 **Ultimate Kuuga:** Hey! Hey! Hey! I don't discriminate when it comes with RWBY Ships. I love all ships as long as it makes sense. Since Arkos has sank, TEAM LANCASTER FTW! Oh and Renora and Bumblebee.

 **DragonWarrior74:** Yeah, I want to make the speech kinda empowering because he leads a group of Imagins, so he's bound to say some speeches here and there. And by now, he should have his ways when it comes with words.

I do not I own the rights to the series RWBY or Kamen Rider. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth Productions and The Kamen Rider Series is owned by Toei Company

"Normal Speech"

'Thoughts/Inner communication between OC and imagin'

 _"Third Person/Flashback"_

 **"Imagin speech"**

* * *

" _So you know who the Den-O is?" Cinder questioned as she talked to Gaoh on the scroll._

" _Yes, he's with some group of kids." Gaoh answered._

 _Cinder sighed and asked, "And you couldn't stop them?"_

" _They caught me off guard, it won't happen again. On better news, now that we know who the Den-O is, we could use that to our advantage."_

" _And how would we do that?" Cinder asked._

" _Well, there's the dance you mentioned. If you can get his date on a ticket, I could eliminate him for good, but that is until I obtain the Gaoh-Liner."_

" _How much longer do I need to wait until you obtain the Master Pass?" Cinder asked impatiently._

 _Gaoh took a bite from his turkey leg and said, "Don't worry, I have it all planned out. Just need to wait for the golden opportunity."_

 _Cinder sighed and said, "Alright, but another failure from you, you'll wish that you want to be in jail with Torchwick, got it?"_

" _Yeah, whatever. I have to go. I'll see you soon." Gaoh said before ending the call._

 _Cinder sighed once more before putting her scroll back into her pocket. She exited her dorm, where Mercury and Emerald are waiting outside. Mercury smirked and said, "So, Gaoh got his ass kicked by that girl and her team? What I would do to see that myself."_

" _Focus, Mercury. That's not the point. The point is that now we have the identity of the Den-O." Cinder pulled her scroll out and opened it up as she stared at a picture of Kurokuu possessed by Kintaros back at the highway._

 _Mercury looked at the picture and said, "That runt's the Den-O? Please, we could take him."_

" _Yeah, I seen him fight. He's slightly better than Arc but he's nowhere near close to Nikos or anyone else." Emerald agreed._

" _Agreed. He won't be much trouble. I'll let Gaoh finish the job." Cinder then pulled out a blank ticket. "You just worry about Ms. Nikos."_

* * *

 **Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time**

 **Chapter 17: The School Dance!**

* * *

It's been a week since the whole operation. And now, I'm definitely regretting making that decision. But beside that, at least we got some information about it. I'm currently in combat class with my team, along with Team RWBY and JNPR.

And at this moment, Pyrrha is really kicking Team CRDL's ass right now. But then again, they're not much of a challenge since everyone can basically beat them. Pyrrha has currently knocked out Russell and Sky, leaving Cardin and Dove on their own. Cardin got up and swung his mace upward, accidentally hitting Dove in the face and depleting his aura to red. Now that Cardin is on his own, this gave Pyrrha the edge as she dodges Cardin's attack and rushes in. She slashed Cardin a couple of times before launching him in the air. Pyrrha jumped up towards him and slashes him relentlessly before sending him back down. Pyrrha used her shield as a boost to launch herself towards Cardin and slammed him into the ground.

The buzzer rang, indicating that the match was over. Pyrrha is still at her maximum aura while Team CRDL was completely decimated. Then again, that's what would expect from Pyrrha, the 'Invincible Girl'. Professor Goodwitch entered the ring and said, "And that's the match."

"Lucky shot." Cardin said before collapsing.

"Well done, Miss Nikos. You should have no problem qualifying for the tournament."

"Thank you, professor." Pyrrha said.

Professor Goodwitch was tapping on her scroll as she said, "Alright, now I know that's a tough act to follow, but we have time for one more sparring match." She looks around the crowd. "Any volunteers? Miss. Belladonna?" Blake slams her book shut as she stared at Professor Goodwitch. "You've been rather docile for the past few classes. Why don't you-"

"I'll do it." I looked over to see some guy with gray hair.

"Mercury, is it? Very well, let's find you an opponent."

"Actually, I wanna fight... her." The gray-haired guy, now named Mercury, said as he points at Pyrrha. As I stared at him, I thought to myself, 'Is this guy gonna go fight Pyrrha even after he saw her annihilate Team CRDL?'

"Me?" Pyrrha questioned.

"I'm afraid Miss. Nikos has just finished the match. I recommend you choose another partner." Professor Goodwitch said.

"No, it's fine! I'd be happy to oblige."

"Okay then, we'll start the match in five minutes." Professor Goodwitch said as Mercury walked towards the locker room to get ready. As we wait for the match to start, I look over to Blake, who wasn't looking very good. She had bags under her eyes, indicating that she hadn't slept for awhile. And Team RWBY as well seemed to notice Blake's condition. As I stared at Blake, I thought about the discussion I had with Mai and The Owner back at the Den-Liner.

* * *

 _August 14, 2017_

"What you did back there with Team RWBY was very reckless! What if one of you guys got killed?!" Mai lectured.

I looked down as I said, "Mai, I'm sorry."

Mai was about to say more until Momotaros said **, "Oi, oi. Mai, I think he's had enough. I mean, he's fine, isn't he?"**

Mai glared at Momotaros before socking him in the face. "Shut it, Momotaros!"

Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros all huddled around Momotaros as Urataros said **, "Senpai, it's best not to agitate a woman when she's angry."**

" **That's right, Momoji. I thought you should've learn that by now."** Kintaros said as he cracked his neck.

Ryutaros blew bubbles in his face and said **, "Ha! Ha! Momotaros is an idiot! Ha! Ha!"**

"Once again, I'm sorry, Mai." I apologized once more.

Mai sighed and said, "It's fine. Just try not to do that again. We're a team now, we need to watch out for each other."

I nodded yes and said, "Yeah, I understand. Sorry."

"Good." She was about to get up until she sat back down and asked, "You said you guys went out to get information right?"

"Yeah."

"And Blake said someone had a red ticket. Who was that person that had the ticket?" Mai asked.

"Blake said that his name was Gaoh." I replied.

Mai's eyes widen as she said, "Gaoh? THE GAOH?!"

I started to panic as I asked, "Yes, Gaoh! That's his name!" I saw the shocked expression on her face as I asked her, "Mai, who is this, Gaoh?"

"Gaoh is a dangerous individual." I turned my head around and saw The Owner standing at the entrance of the dining car. Momotaros, Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros moved out of the way as The Owner walked towards the counter. "Fried rice as usual, please."

"Hai!" Naomi said as she set down his meal.

He slowly start picking apart the rice as Mai explained, "Throughout the Sands of Time, Gaoh and his followers has certainly made a name for himself."

"Why?" I asked.

"He's known for hijacking time trains like ours. And now, he's seemed to ally himself with the White Fang. How interesting." The Owner said as he took a spoonful of rice and slowly consumed it.

"Blake told me the plans he had. He mentioned something about a pass. Is he trying to get my pass?"

"No, that's not the pass he's after. The pass you have isn't capable with the infinity ticket, or 'the red ticket' as you mentioned. He's after something I have."

"What kind of pass do you have?" I asked once more.

The Owner slowly picked the rice apart, but he accidentally knocked down the flag. He gasped loudly before slowly calming down. The Owner pulled out a rider pass, but it was gold instead of black. "He's after the Master Pass."

"That? Why does he want that so much?"

"Blake said he had a infinity ticket on him. If he gets his hands on it, then we're in grave danger." Mai said.

"Why? What's going on?! Why are we in danger?"

The Owner took off his bib and said, "If he gets his hand on the Master Pass, he can obtain the Legendary Gaoh-Liner."

"Gaoh-Liner? What makes it so legendary?"

Mai gulped loudly as she explained, "The Gaoh-Liner was built by a king of an ancient civilization. If one was to obtain this train, he or she could control all of time, meaning he or she could have the ability to erase singular points like us."

I froze in fear as I listened to what she said, "A liner that has the ability to erase us?"

"Yes, that's why the civilization locked it away, making sure the no one gets their hands on this power."

"Correct." The Owner said as he slowly walked towards me. "But as long as Gaoh doesn't get his hands on the Master Pass, he won't have access to the Gaoh-Liner." The Owner slowly walked towards the exit, leaving me to ponder about all of this.

* * *

I sighed as I thought to myself, 'Blake, you're not alone. You have friends. Don't follow the same path I went through.'

Then, I felt a hand on my shoulder as I turned around and saw Deneb. " **What's wrong, Kurokuu? You seemed worried."**

"Oh, it's nothing, Deneb. I'm just worried about Blake." I replied.

" **Yes, I assume she's going through a lot after that whole operation you were on."** Deneb sighed and said **, "I just hope she gets better."**

"Yeah, me too." I said. Then the bell rang, signifying that the match is about to start.

Mercury and Pyrrha stood in front of each other, waiting for the match to start. I stared at Mercury, trying to see what kind of weapon he was using, but nothing really stands out. What kind of weapon do you have? The screen changed as it showed Pyrrha's and Mercury's aurameter as Professor Goodwitch said, "You know the rules by now. Both of you will fight until one fighter's aura is in the red or gets knocked out. Understood?" Pyrrha and Mercury nodded yes. "Okay then, begin!"

Neither made the first move as they just circled each other. Tension filled the air until Mercury made his first move. He charged toward Pyrrha with a back kick, but Pyrrha quickly blocked the attack with her shield. She then uses Milo to sweep Mercury off his feet, but he quickly recovered and back flips away from her. They stared at each other for a moment until they both charged at the same time. Mercury attacked Pyrrha at fast speed, but Pyrrha easily managed to block them all with her shield. She managed to get some slashes in before slamming her shield against Mercury, pushing him back.

"Interesting. Shotgun boots." Shuichi commented. "Applying more force behind his kicks. Almost like Yang's. If not, maybe even better than her's since kicks are much stronger than punches." I kept watching the spar as I noticed something about Mercury. He looked like he wasn't trying.

Mercury charged head on once more, trying to get in more powerful kicks in. But Pyrrha simply blocks the kicks before weaving around them. Then, Pyrrha made her move as she held her weapon backhanded, but Mercury managed to kick it out of her hands, causing her weapon to become embedded in the ground. Mercury took this opportunity and kick Pyrrha while she's off guard, but Pyrrha raised her hand and weaved under the kick.

Pyrrha charged at Mercury while he's down, but he hopped onto the shield and pushed himself away from her. She was about to charge again until Mercury said, "I forfeit."

Pyrrha almost stumbles as she stopped beside him. "You...don't even wanna try?"

He shrugged as he said, "What's the point? You're a world-renowned fighter. We're obviously leagues apart."

"In that case... Pyrrha Nikos is the victor of the match... again." Professor Goodwitch announced. "Next time, you may want to think a little harder before choosing an opponent."

"I'll be sure to do that." Mercury said before walking out of the arena. Strange, why wasn't he trying? It's almost as if...he's analyzing her.

Then, the bell rang as Professor Goodwitch said, "That is all for today. And remember, the dance is this weekend. But you all have your first mission on Monday. I will not accept any excuses." Mai, Shuichi, Deneb, and I all got up and walked out the door. But suddenly, I felt like I was being watched. So I turned around and saw some emerald-haired girl loitering against the wall until Mercury came out.

"Kurokuu, what's up?" I hear Mai ask.

"Nothing. I thought I saw something." I said before walking with the others.

Shuichi sighed as he said, "Well, I got homework from Oobleck to finish up."

"Right...Oobleck's report." Mai said. "I still haven't started on it." She looked at me and asked, "Did you finish the report yet?"

"I already did yesterday." I answered. I looked up ahead and saw Team RWBY leaving the amphitheater. "Actually, I need to talk with Team RWBY for a bit."

"Alright, Kurokuu. But, don't forget about team training tomorrow!"

"Right, I'll remember, bye!" I shouted before going off to meet up with Team RWBY. I exit the amphitheater and see Team RWBY and Sun talking to each other.

"I don't have time for a stupid dance. I thought you of all people would get that." Blake said to Sun before walking away. Damn, that's harsh.

I walked up to Team RWBY and asked, "Did I miss anything?"

Ruby sighed and said, "Blake...isn't herself lately."

"Yeah, I can tell. She's becoming like me…" I muttered.

"Well, we need to go talk to her. Snap her out of this." Weiss said as we followed Blake back to the dorm buildings.

* * *

We arrived at Team RWBY's dorm as Ruby knocked on the door. "Blake, are you in here?" She didn't hear a reply, causing Ruby to become worried. She opened the door to see Blake using her scroll. "Blake, are you okay?"

Blake looked up and set her phone down. "Oh, hey guys. What's going on?"

Weiss and Ruby sat next to each other while Yang sat next to Blake. I pulled out a chair and saw in front of everyone. Weiss sighed and said, "I think you should go to the dance."

"What?!" Blake shouted.

"We think you should go to the dance." Ruby said.

"That's ridiculous!"

Yang looked at Blake worryingly and said, "Blake, we're worried about you. This investigation is starting to mess with your head."

"You can't sleep, you hardly eat, and to be honest, your grades have been suffering." Weiss said while counting with her fingers.

"You think I care about grades?" Blake asked before gesturing out the window. "People's lives are at stake!"

"We know that, Blake." I said. "And we're all trying to stop Gaoh, together! You're not alone on this."

"Thanks to you and Sun, we know they're operating somewhere outside of southeast Vale." Ruby notified.

"And, the Schnee company records singled out Vale as the primary target for Dust robberies over the last few months." Weiss said.

"Don't forget about their missing military tech too." Yang added.

"But there's still unanswered questions! We don't know what Gaoh's true goal is! Or why Torchwick was stealing dust to begin with!"

I sighed and said, "Actually, I know what Gaoh's true goal is."

Everyone stared at me as Blake asked, "What?! What is Gaoh's true goal?!"

"Based off of what you heard about what Gaoh said at the meeting, he's planning to control all of time."

Their eyes widen as Weiss said, "That's insane! How do you know that he's planning to control all of time?!"

"I talked with The Owner to see if he knew anything about Gaoh. And sure enough, he did. And he said that the red ticket he has that Blake mentioned, if he gets his hands on something called the Master Pass, he could obtain the Gaoh-Liner."

"Gaoh-Liner? So another time train like the Den-Liner?" Ruby questioned.

"No, the Gaoh-Liner is much more powerful. The Gaoh-Liner has the ability...to wipe out singular points." I said nervously.

Weiss, Ruby, and Yang looked shocked, but Blake had a fearful expression. "That there just give us more reasons to stop him quickly! Kurokuu's and Mai's lives are at stake, along with all of Remnant!"

"Blake, I can understand that you're afraid of this, but you can't do anything if you can't even stay awake! You need to rest!"

"Blake, all we're asking is that you take it easy for one day." Yang said. "And, it'll be fun! Since we're all planning the event, we'll make it the perfect night for you!"

Blake still didn't seemed convinced, so I stepped in and said, "And once it's all over, we'll return for our search, rested and ready. Simple as that."

"So...what do you think?" Ruby asked.

"I think it's a colossal waste of time." Blake said before standing up and walking to the door. As she opened the door, she said, "I'll be in the library." And with that, Blake left the room.

"Great." I muttered.

"She can't go on like this." Yang commented.

"You got that right." I looked over to Ruby and Weiss as I saw a worried expression on Weiss' face. "Weiss, what's wrong?"

"Is what you said true? That the Gaoh-Liner can erase singular points?" Weiss asked.

I felt everyone's eyes staring at me as I said, "Yeah...that's right." Realizing how grim the situation is, I stood up with a smile on my face. "But, don't worry about me so much! As long as The Owner protects the Master Pass from Gaoh, he's not getting his hands on it anytime soon! We can stop him before he gets his hands on it!"

Ruby and Yang seemed to feel better as Yang said, "That's the spirit!"

"Gaoh is going down!" Ruby said.

Weiss smiled and said, "That's right. We're putting a stop to his plans."

I took a deep breath and said, "Well, I'm gonna go back to my dorm. I'll see you all later?"

"Yeah! See you later!" Ruby said. But before I could leave, Ruby said, "Wait! I just gotta ask. Why didn't Professor Ozpin make you set the dance up with us?" I froze in place. Crap, I can't tell her what I'm doing or Professor Ozpin would kill me!

I turned my head around and said, "Uh...well... Ozpin is making me clean the kitchen after detention! He said that he wanted to give the cooks an easy time so he made me do it!"

"Oh...that sucks. Now, I'm glad that we're doing the dance."

"Yeah, I gotta go now. Bye!" I said before rushing out the door. As I walked further and further away from Team RWBY's dorm, I sighed and muttered, "They'll just have to wait until the dance to find out what I'm doing…"

* * *

 _As Kurokuu left Team RWBY's dorm, Ruby sighed and asked, "So what now? Blake's not going to the dance. I'm worried about her."_

" _Don't worry, we'll find a way to convince her." Yang said while resting her hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Well, after all that, I'm gonna go take a shower." Yang grabbed her clothes and yellow towel and entered their bathroom._

 _Ruby sighed gloomily once more until she saw the worried look on Weiss' face. "Hey, Weiss. Are you okay? Is it...about Kurokuu?"_

" _Yeah, I'm just worried for him." Weiss said._

" _We all are. And we'll stop Gaoh before he does anything. But for now, we need to help Blake, we need everyone in order to stop him."_

 _Weiss looked down and held her hands together, still a little worried. She took a deep breath and said, "Okay, that sounds good."_

" _Great!" Ruby said before hugging Weiss._

 _Weiss tried to push her away as she said, "Stop hugging me!"_

 _Ruby lets go of Weiss and walks over to her desk. As she sat down, she asked Weiss, "Hey, Weiss. Could you meet with me up at the dorm rooftops tomorrow after we finish setting up the dance?"_

 _Weiss looked at Ruby and said, "Okay, sure. What for?"_

" _Oh...it's for uh...training! Yeah, I thought we could do some training after setting up the dance!"_

" _Okay...but can't we just train in the training room?"_

 _Ruby started to sweat a little and said, "Well...I like some fresh air! You know how stuffy the training room is. With all the...people working out and sweating!"_

" _Okay then...The rooftops, it is." Weiss said before laying down on her bed._

" _Great!" Ruby said before turned away from Weiss. She smiled sinisterly as she muttered quietly, "Phase one, complete."_

* * *

" _And finally, Pyrrha Nikos." Emerald said as she used her scroll._

" _Ahh, the 'Invincible Girl.'" Cinder said as she sewed a black dress._

 _Mercury said while reading his comic, "She's smart, but I wouldn't say invincible."_

" _Do tell."_

" _Her semblance is polarity. But, you'd never know just by watching." Emerald informed._

 _Mercury sat up and said, "After she made contact with my boots, she was able to move them around however she wanted. But she only made slight adjustments._

" _Just enough to make it look like she's untouchable. She doesn't broadcast her power, so it puts her opponent at a disadvantage."_

" _Hmm... People assume that she's fated for victory, when she's really taking fate into her own hands. Interesting. Add her to the list." Cinder said._

" _You should be able to take her no problem." Mercury said._

" _It's not about overpowering the enemy. It's about taking away what power they have. And we will, in time."_

 _Mercury laid on his back with his arms around his head as he said, "I hate waiting."_

" _Don't worry, Mercury. We have a fun weekend ahead of us." Cinder said as she looks at the ticket. She looks over to Emerald and said, "Speaking of the weekends, I have a task for you, Emerald."_

" _Yes, Cinder?" Emerald asked as she got up._

 _Cinder hands her the ticket and said, "At the dance, I want you to get close to the Den-O and use this ticket to record his date. After doing so, make sure you give it to me."_

 _Emerald took it and said, "Yes, Cinder. I won't let you down."_

* * *

 _August 18, 2017_

 _Weiss sat quietly with a solemn look on her face as she stared out the window. She sighed quietly until she was startled by someone slamming their hands on the table. Weiss looked up and saw Ruby smiling._

" _Weiss, I need your help. Which tablecloth do we use?" Ruby asked as she showed two tablecloths, both with similar shades of white. Weiss pointed the one in Ruby's right hand. "Thanks!" Ruby said as she began setting up the tables._

 _Yang carried a massive sound speaker over her shoulder before slamming it on the ground, bouncing Weiss and the table up. Yang walked over to Weiss and said, "So...Weiss, are you going to the dance tonight?"_

 _Weiss looked at Yang and said, "Of course! I'm not skipping this dance!"_

" _That's the spirit, Weiss!" Ruby said as she finished setting up all the tables. "But, what'll we do about Blake?"_

 _Yang laid her hand on Ruby's shoulder as she said, "Oh, don't worry, she's going." She walked backstage and grabbed a few fog machines. "Well, I gotta set up the fog machines."_

 _The sound of the door opening caught their attention as Sun and Neptune entered the room. "Your dance is gonna have fog machines?" Neptune asked._

" _Yep, thought it'll be cool." Yang replied as she set the fog machines in front of the stage._

" _That's pretty cool." Neptune commented._

 _Sun approaches them, acting suave as he asked, "You ladies excited for dress-up?"_

" _Pfft… Yeah right!" Ruby said._

" _Laugh all you want. I'll be turning heads tomorrow night!" Yang said excitedly._

" _What are you two gonna be wearing?" Weiss asked Sun and Neptune._

 _Sun gestured to his current outfit as he said, "Uuhhh… this?"_

 _Neptune steps up and puts his hand in front of Sun's face as he said, "Ignore him for he knows not what he says."_

 _Sun slaps Neptune's hand away as he said, "Hey, I may have moved to Mistral, but I grew up in Vacuo. It's not exactly a shirt-and-tie kind of place."_

" _Yeah. We've noticed." Yang said as she mirrored Ruby's and Weiss' look of being told something extremely obvious._

 _Sun rubbed the back of his head as he asked, "Soooo... what does Blake think of all this? She still being all, y'know... Blake-y?"_

" _Sadly, yes." Weiss answered._

 _Sun looked at Ruby and asked, "Hey, Rubes. Can we talk to you for a bit?"_

" _Sure." Ruby said as she, Sun, and Neptune walked out the room._

 _Once they're outside, Neptune looked around before asking, "So, did Weiss take the bait?"_

" _Yep. She doesn't even know." Ruby whispered before snickering._

" _Good. Now, phase two!" Neptune said before smiling sinisterly._

* * *

I slashed horizontally as Shuichi back flipped away from the attack. He retraced forward and went in for a downward strike, but I managed to move to the left and block the attack in time. Since his entire right side was exposed, I took the advantage and went in for another horizontal strike. But Shuichi quickly saw this and retraced away again.

I growled as I shouted, "Come on! Your semblance is cheap!"

"Quit complaining! Every semblance has its flaws! You just need to find it and exploit it!" Shuichi said before shifting his sword into a crossbow. He fired some arrows at me, but I quickly rolled out of the way. I switched the Momotarosword out, in favor for the Ryuvolver. I began firing at Shuichi, who switched his crossbow back into a sword and blocked a few bullets before rolling out of the way.

I switched the Ryuvolver for the Uratarod and charged head on. I thrust the rod at Shuichi, but he manages to parry it with his sword and kicked me back. He switched his sword back into the crossbow again and fired more arrows at me. I deflected all of the incoming arrows with the rod before throwing it like a spear at Shuichi. He stumbled back, giving me an opportunity to attack. I switched the Uratarod with the Kintaros Axe and went in for a powerful downward strike. Shuichi smirked as he retraced away from me, causing the axe to hit the ground.

Crap! He retraced again! I attempted to yank the axe out of the ground, but Shuichi charged at me and attacked. I shifted my attention to Shuichi as I weaved under the attack and tackled him down. But he rolled on the ground and threw me off of him. I quickly recovered and switched out the Kintaros Axe with the Momotaros sword and blocked the incoming attack from Shuichi.

Our swords grinded against each other as Shuichi sighed and said, "Come on, Kurokuu! You can do better than that!" I growled before pushing Shuichi's sword away. I saw that his torso was unguarded so I thrust my sword at Shuichi, knocking him back. "There you go! Come on!" Shuichi shouted before doing a horizontal strike.

I parried the attack before doing a downward strike, but once again, he retraces away from the attack. 'Wait, I forgot! He still moves in reverse while he retraces! Maybe, if I could...Oh, crap!' My thoughts were cut off as Shuichi went in for a downward strike. I quickly rolled out of the way, but I couldn't get up in time as I see his sword near my neck. He smirked as he said, "I win."

I groaned and said, "Yeah, whatever." I moved the sword away from my neck so I could get up.

"Not bad. You're good with your sword and rod, but you suck with the axe and gun." Shuichi said as he walked over to the bench and grabbed his towel. "Not only you can't aim with a gun, you can't even lift your axe off the ground. If that situation of getting your axe stuck into something happens again, you're open for anyone to attack you."

"You're right. I'll try to get better."

"No, you will get better." Shuichi said as he tossed my towel at me. I caught the towel and began wiping all the sweat off my face and neck. "I suggest we do more strength training. That could give you an easier time wielding the axe as well as taking the recoil from the gun."

"Right… sounds good." I said before taking a sip of water from my bottle. Silence filled the room as we both rested for a bit. I couldn't take the silence anymore, so I sparked up a conversation. "So, Shuichi… Are you gonna go to the dance?"

"No, not really planning to. It's kinda pointless if you ask me." Shuichi said.

"Oh, come on! It'll be fun! Everyone's going!" Then, I remembered the Blake situation. "Well… almost everyone."

"I'll pass. I'm just gonna stay at the dorm and finish up some homework." Shuichi said before he stood back up and began stretching.

As I watched him stretch, I thought to myself. 'Should I ask him? Maybe he knows something about… relationships. I mean he's twenty one, he's bound to know something, right?' I cleared my throat and asked, "Hey, Shuichi. Could I… ask you something?"

He sighed and said, "What?"

"Do you know... something… about… relationships?" I asked nervously.

"Well, that depends. What type of relationship are you talking about?"

"You know... a guy... and a girl?"

Shuichi stared at me for a bit until he asked, "Is this about Weiss?"

My eye widen as I asked, "What? What makes you say that?!"

"Kurokuu, everyone by now knows about this. And I can see it too."

"Was it that obvious?!" I asked myself.

"But besides that, you want my advice?" I nodded yes in response. "Don't wait, just do it. Time is precious, don't waste it all on wondering about the possibilities when you should've just done it. Don't make that same mistake I did."

"'Don't make that same mistake I did?' What do you mean by that?"

"I mean… I made that mistake back then. I met someone very special to me, but I always feared that she never felt the same way. So for four years of Beacon, I spent my time wondering and waiting. And when we finally confessed to each other, something bad happened… And here I am now, never being able to go back and see her again, breaking her heart." I stared at Shuichi with sympathy as he looked so remorseful. "So that's my advice. I suggest you listen to it." Shuichi said before walking out the training room, leaving me by myself to think.

Just do it? That's… a very straight forward advice. But is it wrong to feel cautious? What if...I ruin what I have with Weiss because of this? I stroke my hair stressfully as I kept on thinking about this. But, Shuichi's not wrong either! If I keep on fearing the possibilities, I'll never truly know and I'll just waste time! "Hey, Kurokuu. Doing okay there?" I snapped out of my thoughts as I see Neptune and Sun standing in front of me. "You look kinda upset."

"Oh, I'm just… thinking about something, that's all." I stood up and chugged all the water in the bottle. I tossed the bottle in the recycling bin and asked, "So, what's up?"

"We need some help with an experiment. We're doing it on the top of the dorm buildings, can you help?" Neptune asked.

I sighed and said, "Sure. I'll help you guys out." Maybe this will help me forget about this for a bit.

"Great!" Sun said excitedly. "Just meet us up there when you're ready." And with that, Sun and Neptune left the training room. Well, I should clean myself up and get going. I walked over to the locker room and took a quick shower.

I could feel all the stress and worries melt away as I let the hot water hit my skin. After awhile, I decided to get out of the showers and change into my battle outfit. I stuff my training outfit in my duffel bag before closing my locker and exiting the locker room. As I walk out of the training room, I realized that it was already late in the afternoon, so I quickly made my way to the dorm buildings as fast as I could.

Once inside, I walked up several flights of stairs until I reached the hallway of Team MSKD, RWBY, and JNPR. I walked down the hall and stopped at my dorm and entered inside. There was no one present in the room, so I quickly drop my stuff off and left. As I locked up the dorm, I turned around and saw Ruby staring eagerly at me. I jumped slightly as I said, "Ruby! You scared the crap out of me!"

"Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to scare you like that." Ruby apologized.

"It's fine. By the way, how did setting up the dance go?" I ask.

She sighed and said, "It took awhile without Blake's help, but we managed."

I frowned at that and asked, "She's still like that?"

"I don't think so. Once she got back to the dorm with Yang, she just flopped on the bed and fell asleep."

I sighed with relief and said, "That's good. She's finally resting."

"Yep, Yang's done it again. Also...where are you going?"

"Oh, I'm just meeting up with Sun and Neptune. They said they need more for an experiment." I explained.

Ruby smiled, which caused me to feel slightly uneasy. "Can I come? I would like some fresh air."

"Um…sure?" I said as we began walking towards the rooftops. At the entrance, I see Sun and Neptune waiting for me. "Hey, I'm here. So, what's the experiment?"

Sun and Neptune smirked as Neptune said, "Well, it's on the other side. Let me show you." He slowly creaked the door open, allowing me to see what was on the other side. My eyes widen as I see Weiss standing quietly.

Realizing what they're trying to pull, I turned around and said, "Sun?! Neptune?! Ruby?! What do you think you're doing?!"

"Giving you a chance!" Sun whispered loudly.

"What do you mean?!"

"He means that we want you to go ask Weiss to the dance!" Ruby said straightforward.

I blushed a little bit as I felt my heart beating fast. "Are you guys insane?! I can't ask her!"

"Why not?!" Neptune asked.

"I don't know, okay?!"

Ruby sighed and said, "Look, Kurokuu. Weiss likes you a lot! There isn't a day that goes by that Weiss thinks about you."

"She...she does?"

"Yeah!" Sun said. He grabbed me by the jacket and said, "And she's standing out there, waiting for you to ask her! Are you just gonna let her go because you're scared?!"

I balled my hands up into a fist. Sun and Shuichi is right. No more of letting the future possibilities scare me again. It tried to stop me from becoming stronger, and I'm sure in hell not gonna let it try to stop me now. I took a deep breath and said, "Alright, I'll ask her."

Ruby, Sun, and Neptune smiled as they said, "Yes!"

Neptune pat me on the shoulder and said, "You got this!"

I nodded my head yes and said, "Right…I got this." I stepped up the stairs and opened the door. I see Weiss looking back at me with surprise in her eyes. My heart slowly beated faster as I tried to get some words out of my mouth. I cleared my throat and said, "Hey, Weiss."

"Hey, Kurokuu. What're you doing here?" Weiss asked.

I walked up to her and said, "Just getting some fresh air after cleaning the kitchen and practicing with Shuichi. What're you doing here?"

"Oh, I'm just waiting for Ruby for our training." Weiss checked her scroll as she said, "Strange, I was supposed to meet her here after we finish setting up the dance, but she's still not here yet."

"Oh…that's strange. Maybe she got caught up with something." I suggested.

I felt some sweat trickling down my face as Weiss said, "Well, I should get going back to my dorm since Ruby isn't here."

"Okay." I said as Weiss began going for the door. Dang it, Kurokuu! She's walking away! Just ask her before she leaves! "Wait!" I shouted to get her attention.

Weiss turned around and looked me. "Yes? What is it?"

This is it. Now, just ask her. I took a deep breath and said, "I know this is a bit out of the blue, but I want to ask you something."

"Okay, what is it?" Weiss asked.

I curled my hand into a fist as I asked, "Would you…like to go with me to the dance?"

I saw the shocked expression on her face as I wait for her to reply. My heart is racing as more sweat trickled down on the sides of my face. Then, Weiss smiled as she replied, "Kurokuu, of course I'll go with you."

My heart stopped at the moment when Weiss said yes. I can't believe it. She actually said yes! I quickly recomposed myself and said, "Great. I'll see you at the dance tomorrow."

"Sounds great." Weiss said before walking off.

Once she left, I looked up in the sky and muttered to myself, "I finally asked her… I did it."

I hear the door open behind me, so I turned around and see Ruby, Sun, and Neptune walking towards me. They all looked at me eagerly as Ruby asked, "So? What did she say?"

I smiled and said, "She...she said yes!"

Sun and Neptune high fived each other as Sun shouted, "ALRIGHT, KUROKUU!"

Neptune patted my shoulder and said, "You finally did it! Now, onto phase three!" Sun and Ruby pulled on my arms as they are leading me somewhere.

"Neptune! Where are we going?!" I asked nervously.

Neptune snickered and said, "You have a fitting to go to! You can't go to the dance without a suit!" Oh man, this is gonna be a long afternoon.

* * *

 _August 19, 2017_

This is it. This is the day. The Beacon Dance. I stared at the mirror, making sure everything is just perfect. Sun, Neptune, Ruby, and I spent all afternoon yesterday, trying to find the best suit for me. And I gotta say that Neptune has pretty good taste, much better than what Sun was gonna give me. I'm wearing a white dress shirt, with the sleeves rolled up, a red waistcoat, a black tie, black dress pants, and black dress shoes.

Okay, is the tie straight? Check. Sleeves rolled up correctly? Check. Am I sweating? Kinda. Then, the closet door opens as Mai stepped out in her prom dress. Mai is wearing a white charmeuse dress with a detached black sleeves, black high heels, and a solitaire round rhinestone necklace. She did a quick spin and asked, "Hey, Kurokuu. How do I look?"

"You look great. Do I look good?" I asked.

"Yeah, you like great too." Mai said as she uses the mirror to check herself again. After she's done, she walks to the door and said, "Well, should we get going?"

"Actually, you go on ahead. I need to do a few things." I lied. Mai nodded before leaving the room. I sat on my bed and took a deep breath. Okay, this is your first prom with Weiss. You gotta make it the best night for her. Then, sand came off of me as Momotaros, Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros appeared in front of me in their sand form. "Hey, guys."

Urataros smiled and said **, "Hello. Are you ready for the dance?"**

"Kinda. I mean I'm nervous. Really nervous." I said with shakiness in my voice.

Urataros hopped on my bed and placed his arm around my shoulder. " **Relax, Kurokuu. You'll impress Weiss-chan with that special skill of yours once you get up on stage."**

" **Yeah. You been practicing with her for a few days. What could go wrong?"** Kintaros said as he cracked his neck.

Momotaros slapped Kintaros' in the head for that as he said **, "Shut up, you idiot! You're gonna jinx it and ruin everything for him!"**

"Guys! Thanks for the encouragement." I thanked everyone. "I'm glad you guys are by my side."

Momotaros laughed a little and said **, "Oh, shush!"**

I smiled and said, "Well, I should get going. See ya' later!" I stood back up and exit the dorm. I took one last breath and said to myself, "You got this." And with that, I made my way to the dance.

* * *

 _Once Kurokuu left the dorm, Momotaros, Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros all sat there quietly, wondering what to do next. Then, the closet door opens as Shuichi and Deneb entered the dorm with groceries in their hands._ " _ **Oh... it's you."**_ _Ryutaros said before looking away._

" _What're you guys doing here?" Shuichi asked._

" _ **Just giving Kurokuu some good luck before going to the dance."**_ _Urataros answered._

" _Oh, I see. Kurokuu finally asked Weiss to the dance?" Shuichi asked as he set the groceries on the table._

" _ **Yep. It took that long just to ask her."**_ _Momotaros said as he sat on the bed._ " _ **And off he goes."**_

" _So, what'll you guys do now?" Shuichi asked as Deneb began scoring the fish._

" _ **I don't know. I don't want to go back in the Den-Liner again."**_ _Momotaros said until he started to grin mischievously._ " _ **Unless…"**_

 _Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros caught on with what Momotaros meant as Urataros said_ _ **, "Senpai, you do know what'll happen if Mai caught us there."**_

" _ **Unless, we're in disguise."**_ _Momotaros said._ " _ **Think about it! Today is the dance."**_ _Momotaros gathered Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros together as he continued_ _ **, "And at dances, there's girls, music, and food."**_

" _ **Huh, Senpai. I never took you as mischievous. You sound like something I would say."**_ _Urataros commented._ " _ **But, you're not wrong. All those girls I could fish."**_

" _ **And the food. The third best thing I love more than sleep and training."**_ _Kintaros said._

" _ **And music. I can have fun dancing!"**_ _Ryutaros said excitedly._ " _ **OOH! OOH! KAME-CHAN! COULD WE PLEASE GO TO THE DANCE?!"**_

 _Urataros thinks about it for a bit until he said_ _ **, "Alright. Let's do it."**_

" _ **YAY! WE'RE GONNA HAVE SO MUCH FUN!"**_

" _ **Ryuta, remember. Once we're there, we find someone to possess. We can't let Mai or anyone know we're there."**_ _Urataros warned Ryutaros._

" _ **Hai!"**_

 _Momotaros cracked his knuckles and said_ _ **, "No more staying on the Den-Liner! Tonight, we're free!"**_ _Then, the imagins starting glowing translucent as they flew out the window and to the dance._

 _Deneb gulped and asked Shuichi_ _ **, "Um… shouldn't we stop them?"**_

" _It's too late. Let them get in trouble with Mai." Shuichi said as he ate a cookie from the box._

* * *

 _Inside the ballroom, streamers are hung through glass chandeliers, pink and blue balloons are everywhere, and students in dark suits and bright dresses are stepping with each other to the music between the white-clothed tables. And among the group of students dancing were Blake and Sun, happily dancing without a care in the world._

 _And watching from afar is Yang, Weiss, and Ruby. "I told you she would come." Yang said._

" _Mission accomplished." Weiss said._

 _Ruby looks at her teammates and asked, "Soooo, what do we do now?"_

" _Just have fun!" Yang exclaimed as she and Weiss left Ruby behind._

" _Does that mean I can change out of these stupid things and into my hood now?" Ruby shouted towards Yang. She sighed as she waddles around in her painful footwear. "Stupid lady stilts."_

" _Not enjoying yourself?" Ozpin asked as he stood right next to Ruby._

 _Ruby was surprised at the headmaster's sudden appearance, but she just shakes her head and said, "Oh, no, everything's fine! I'm just not much of a fancy pantsy... dancey girl."_

" _Well, you can't spend your whole life on the battlefield, even if you may want to."_

 _Ruby crossed her arms and said, "Yeah, that lesson's been floating around a lot lately."_

 _Professor Ozpin stared at the students as he said, "If you think about it, fighting and dancing aren't so different. Two partners interlocked, although one wrong move on the ballroom merely leads to a swollen foot."_

" _Or a twisted ankle." Ruby added._

" _It's not everyday that friends are able to come together like this. Time has a way of testing our bonds, but it's nights like these that can help keep them stronger than ever. Nights like these are ones we'll never forget." Ruby smiled at Professor Ozpin's word of wisdom until the door opening caught her attention. She sees Yang greeting Mercury and Emerald before focusing back on Ozpin. "So, I hope you have an exciting evening, Miss. Rose. The dance has only just begun."_

" _I'll try." Ruby said before walking over to the punch bowl. She grabbed a cup and poured herself a drink._

 _Jaune walks over to Ruby with a cup in his hand as he said, "I see you're hiding at the punch bowl too."_

" _Yep."_

" _To the socially awkward." Jaune said as he and Ruby clink their glasses._

" _Sorry things didn't work out with Weiss." Ruby said._

" _Meh, it's fine. I mean, Kurokuu is a great guy. If Weiss is happy with Kurokuu, then I'm okay with that."_

" _Yeah. Strange though, I didn't see Kurokuu come yet." Ruby commented._

" _Maybe he's just running late." Jaune guessed as he looked at the door, waiting to see if Kurokuu will come. He looked back to where Weiss was, and she is seen sitting patiently for him. He was about to go talk to her until a certain red-haired girl walked past him. Jaune sighed and said, "Hey, Ruby. Hold my punch real quick." Jaune hands Ruby his glass before chasing after Pyrrha._

 _Once Jaune was out of sight, Ruby took a sip of his glass before walking towards Weiss. "Hey, Weiss."_

 _Weiss looked up and said, "Oh, hey."_

" _Still waiting for Kurokuu?" Ruby asked._

" _Yeah, seems like he's running late." Weiss said with a frown on her face._

 _Ruby smiled and said, "Come on, Weiss! Don't be so sad! He'll come, but for now, stopping being so mopey and have fun!"_

 _Weiss tried to get pumped as she said, "Yeah…"_

 _Ruby sighed until she looked at the stage and saw some people setting some instruments up, but that's not what caught her attention. Standing in the middle was none other than Casey Williams, getting ready to sing. She squealed a little as she said, "OH. MY. OUM! IT'S CASEY WILLIAMS!"_

" _Casey? Where?" Weiss asked._

" _On stage! She might be performing! Come on, let's get to the front!" Ruby said as she dragged Weiss out of her seat._

" _Hey! I'm wearing high heels!" Weiss cried as she tried to keep up with Ruby._

 _Ruby pushed through the crowd until she sees Yang, Blake, Mai, Sun, and Neptune at the front. "Hey guys!"_

 _Yang waved her arms and said, "Hey, sis! Isn't this crazy?! Ozpin managed to get Casey and Jeff Williams to perform tonight!"_

" _I know! I love their music!" Ruby exclaimed. "Red Like Roses, This Will Be The Day, Time To Say Goodbye! Oh, so many good songs!"_

" _Man, I haven't heard a Casey Williams song in so long!" Mai commented._

" _I wonder what song they'll be performing?" Weiss asked as Professor Goodwitch got up on stage._

* * *

Okay, okay! You practice this song for a few days now. You can do this! In front... of a bunch of people. You got this! I slapped myself to get nervousness out of my system as I see Professor Goodwitch get up on stage. She tapped the microphone and said, "Good evening, students. I hope you're all having a great time at the dance." She was interrupted by a bunch of students cheering loudly. "Well, tonight, we'll be having a performance from Casey and Jeff Williams as well as a surprise singer. So please give them a warm welcome!"

The students all started cheering as Professor Goodwitch left the stage, allowing Casey to get up stage front. I took a deep breath as I see Team RWBY, Mai, Sun, and Neptune all standing at the front of the stage. Okay, this is it.

 **(Cue~Bmblb [feat. Casey Lee Williams] by Jeff Williams)**

Casey: There's a garden where I go

If you meet me there no one will know

In the springtime in the sun

We can be alone without anyone

The accompaniment starting playing as more people starting getting hyped for the song. I hear Ruby in the front shouting, "YEAH, CASEY WILLIAMS!"

All the butterflies and the birds

Keep our secret no they won't say a word

But they watch us and they know

And they're happy as they see our love grow

We'll sit for a while

As I drink in your smile

It feels like a dream that's come true

My head starts to buzz

And my heart fills with love

Over you...

Baby can't you see?

You could be with me

We could live inside a garden of ecstasy

You could be my queen

I could be your dream

Our lives like a fantasy

Maybe set me free?

Let me be your bumblebee

'Okay, get in there' I thought to myself as I entered the stage with my mic.

Kurokuu: Now the flowers are in bloom

And you've chased away my darkness and gloom

When the wind blows through the trees

And your voice is like a song in the breeze

I could see the shocked expressions on most of the students' face. Especially Team RWBY, Mai, Sun, and Neptune. I see Weiss smiling as she called out, "GO KUROKUU!" I smiled as I quickly continued.

My doubts disappear

Every time that you're near

The clouds seem to run from the sky

The thought of your kiss

Sends my soul into bliss

I get high

Baby can't you see?

You could be with me

We could live inside a garden of ecstasy

You could be my queen

I could be your dream

Our lives like a fantasy

Maybe set me free?

Let me be your-

Casey: Like a serenade

Every word you say

Has me fallin'

More and more in love with you

Kurokuu: Like a purdy beat

You are oh so sweet

Every day is sunny[Casey: Sunny!]

Tastes like honey [Casey: Honey!]

Feel so alive take me back to the hive

The guitar rift took over, allowing me and Casey to take a few second break. The students started cheering loudly at the performance. Our part was coming soon so Casey and I prepared ourselves for the last chorus.

Kurokuu: Baby can't you see?

You could be with me

We could live inside a garden of ecstasy

Casey: You could be my queen

I could be your dream

Our lives like a fantasy

Kurokuu: Maybe set me free?

Kurokuu and Casey: Let me be your bumblebee!

The song ended as the crowd started cheering wildly. I looked down and see Team RWBY, Mai, Sun, and Neptune cheering the loudest as Casey said on her mic, "Thank you everyone for coming out tonight and listening to us perform! And everyone give a warm round of applause for Kurokuu for performing with us tonight!" The crowd starting cheering loudly for me as Casey asked, "Anything you want to say?"

"Yeah." I walked off the stage and through the crowd until I reached Team RWBY, Mai, Sun, and Neptune. I reach my hand out to Weiss, while giving her a small smile, and asked, "May I have this dance?"

Weiss grabbed my hand and answered, "I'd love too!" I gave the mic back to Casey as I pulled Weiss closer to me.

I hear the crowd awwing as Casey said, "Okay then, let's continue to dance the night away!"

 **(Cue~Shine [feat. Casey Lee Williams] by Jeff Williams)**

As the music started playing, Weiss and I starting dancing around. In the back, I hear Ruby saying, "Yang. It's. Finally. HAPPENING!"

"About time!" Yang said.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, Momotaros, Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros are watching everything from the window. Urataros smiled and said_ _ **, "Look at that, he made the move."**_

 _Kintaros started tearing up a bit and said_ _ **, "He's grown so much!"**_

 _Momotaros slaps Kintaros in the head and said_ _ **, "Shut it, Bear Boy! Remember the plan!"**_ _They all nodded as they entered inside the ballroom. Momotaros and Kintaros looked around the food stand as they see Team CRDL standing in the corner._ " _ **Alright, on three. One. Two. Three!"**_ _Momotaros attempted to possess Cardin, but Kintaros got to him first, knocking Momotaros out. Momotaros growled as he decided to go for Russell._

" _Hey, Cardin? Russell? You guys alright?" Sky asked._

 _Cardin's eyes glowed yellow as his hair grew longer and had a small streak of yellow hair running through it. Russell's entire mohawk and eyes turned red as Momotaros shouted_ _ **, "NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUSINESS! SO GET OUT OR I'LL KICK YOUR ASS!"**_

" _What's gotten into you guys?" Dove asked until Kintaros grabbed him by the neck. And in one swift motion, Kintaros threw Dove through the wall._

 _Momotaros simply just kicked Sky in the nuts and said_ _ **, "Finally, a mea-"**_ _He cuts himself off as he sees several plates of pudding available._ " _ **PUDDING!"**_ _Momotaros dashed straight to the pudding and began chowing down._

* * *

 _Urataros looked around until he sees Neptune dancing with Sun and Blake. He smirks as he said_ _ **, "Perfect."**_ _He jumps into Neptune, taking control of his body._

" _Hey, Neptune. You okay there?" Sun asked._

" _ **I'm perfect."**_ _Urataros replied. Neptune's look remains rather the same, but he was wearing glasses._

 _Blake's eyes widen as she said, "Urataros? What're you doing here?!"_

" _ **Out to have fun tonight! Don't tell Mai that I'm here."**_ _Urataros said before walking towards a group of girls._

* * *

 _Ryutaros looked around until he saw a random student talking to a girl. He smirked as he jumped into his body, taking control. The student's eyes changed color as a strand of purple hair hanged from the side and a purple dyed brown hat appeared. "So what do you like to do?" The girl asked._

" _ **I like to dance!"**_ _Ryutaros replied as he snapped his fingers in the air. Everyone focused their attention on him as he stood still._

 _ **(Cue~Double-Action Gun Form)**_

 _Musio started paying out of nowhere as Ryutaros started to moving to the beat of the music. Ryutaros then got on the floor and began spinning his body around with just his arms. The people were impressed by his dancing as they began cheering. More and more people huddled around Ryutaros as he began doing a windmill. The people were blown away except for one, Mai, who was angrily growling at him._

 _Mai walked through the crowd and shouted, "RYUTAROS!"_

 _Ryutaros immediately stopped dancing as he said_ _ **, "Mai!"**_ _Instead of being greeted with happiness, he was greeted with anger as Mai grabbed him by the ear._ " _ **Ow! Ow! Ow!"**_

" _What're you doing here?!" Mai asked._

" _ **We all went out to go have fun!"**_ _Ryutaros quickly replied._

" _We? Momotaros…" Mai muttered. "Where are they?!"_

" _ **I don't know!"**_ _Mai growled as she searched around for the imagins while pulling on Ryutaros' ear._

 _Mai looked around the room until she sees the possessed Cardin and Russell eating all the desserts. She walked over to Momotaros and pulled him by the ear._ " _ **OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! MAI!"**_

" _Momotaros... what did I tell you about going out except for battles?!" Mai asked. Momotaros couldn't answer, causing Mai to yank on his ear more. "And Kintaros, if you don't want to be like them, then you better follow me!" Kintaros nodded as he followed Mai to go look for Urataros._

 _Mai looked around until she sees Urataros, in Neptune's body, talking to a bunch of girls. She growled as she walks towards Urataros. He looked at all the girls until he saw Mai, with an angry look on her face. He started feeling nervous and asked_ _ **, "Mai! How are you? A-Are you having a good time?"**_

" _I was until I saw Ryutaros and the rest of you!" Mai shouted. She lets go of Ryutaros, ending his pain, as she grabs Urataros by the ear. "Come here!" Urataros nodded as they all walked towards the balcony. Mai faced everyone and asked, "WHOSE IDEA WAS THIS?"_

 _Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros immediately point at Momotaros._ " _ **Uh…"**_

" _Momotaros! Good thing I hate Russell because I can still punch you!" Mai shouted as she punched Momotaros so hard that he gets knocked out of Russell. Russell flopped down on the floor as she said, "Anyone wanna be like Momotaros?!" Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros all shook their heads no at the same time. "Then, get out of their bodies and go back to the Den-Liner! We'll have a talk later!"_

" _ **HAI!"**_ _The remaining imagins shouted as they all jumped out of their body._

 _Neptune, Cardin, and the student all got up as the student asked, "What happened?"_

" _Nothing. Just go inside." Mai said as they all complied. She walked back into the ballroom to see everyone slow dancing. Mai smiled as she sees Kurokuu and Weiss dancing with one another._

* * *

I held my right hand on Weiss' waist as my left hand is holding Weiss' right hand. The music was slow, soft, and soothing. It made me remember the times I hugged her. The first time we met and the rooftops. But this felt more similar to the time at the rooftops. I smiled as I asked Weiss, "How's your night?"

"It's... perfect." Weiss said. "I'm surprised that you actually decided to sing in front of everyone."

I chuckled quietly and said, "Well, I wasn't given much of a choice. Thank Professor Ozpin for that."

We kept on dancing as Weiss asked, "Hey, Kurokuu. Is it true?"

"What?"

"What you said back at the duel we had with Shuichi and Deneb. Are you really willing to protect me and everyone you know?"

I sighed and said, "Of course, you are the closest thing I have to family. You've been there for me when I was at my lowest, you helped fill that loneliness in my heart, and you helped me become who I am now. And with everything I have, I'll do whatever it takes to protect you and everyone I know."

Weiss smiled at that as she laid her head against my shoulder, causing my heart to race faster. "C-Can... we stay like this?" Weiss asked quietly. Not only that, I noticed her blushing.

I started to blush as well before letting out a small smile. "O-Okay." I replied as we continued dancing. This feeling. This feeling I get when I see Weiss. I hope this feeling never ends. Suddenly, I thought I felt someone creeping behind me. So, I slowly turned around, only to see no one behind me. Strange, what was that?

* * *

 _Mercury is observing the students from above until he sees Emerald walking up. "Took you long enough."_

" _Well, I didn't want the Den-O and Ice Queen to see us. But, I got the date anyway." Emerald said as she showed the ticket to Mercury. The ticket showed a picture of Kurokuu in his basic Plat Form armor with the date 10/10/2000. "It appears all the dancers have partners."_

" _How long do I have?" Cinder asked via ear-bud._

" _You should probably get back by midnight. Just to be safe." Mercury suggested._

" _I'll keep my eye on the clock. Emerald, did you get the date?"_

" _Yes, Cinder. I have it with me." Emerald answered._

" _Good. I must get going. Keep watch on everyone_ _."_

* * *

 _Ruby is seen standing awkwardly near the entrance of the ballroom. She decides to step outside to get some fresh air, only to see a black figure running across the rooftops. Ruby stared suspiciously at figure before deciding to follow after her._

* * *

 _Shuichi is seen finishing up his meal with Deneb as he said, "Thanks for the meal, Deneb."_

" _ **Oh, it's nothing."**_ _Deneb said as he picked up the dishes and put them in the sink._

 _He sighed loudly, getting Shuichi's attention. "What is it now?"_

 _Deneb stops cleaning the dishes as he said_ _ **, "It's just... I think you should've gone to the dance."**_

 _Shuichi sighed and said, "Like I said before, I can't get close to anyone except Mai and Kurokuu. At least, they won't be affected by the cards." He sat up and looked out through the window._

" _ **But, you need memories. It hurts me to see you act so distant to most people."**_

" _Well, this is for the best." Shuichi said. As he stares out the window, he sees a black figure running across the rooftops. Shuichi stared at the figure suspiciously until he said, "Deneb, I think we got an intruder."_

 _Deneb walked up to Shuichi and asked_ _ **, "Where?"**_

" _Over there!" Shuichi pointed. He pulls out the Zeronos belt and said, "Deneb, let's go!"_

" _ **Roger!"**_ _Deneb said as they rush out of their dorm and after the black figure._

* * *

 _Cinder begins her infiltration as she makes her way to the CCT tower to get what she needed. Cinder is wearing her stealth outfit which consists of a sleeveless jacket, long gloves, stiletto heel boots, a black glass mask, and several straps with containers of powdered Dust lined across her pants._

 _Once she arrived at the area, she stealthy approaches an armed guard and knife-hands him at the back of the head, rendering him unconscious. She quickly hides his body before entering inside. Inside the lobby, there were four armed guards. One of them sees Cinder as he said, "Excuse me, no one's allowed in this area." The guard informed. However, Cinder doesn't heed his warnings. "Stop!" Cinder charges at the solider, who open fires. But, Cinder quickly overpowers him and uses his gun to shoot the soldier that was gonna attack her from behind._

 _Cinder kicks the soldier behind his knees before flipping over him and tossing him into the handrail. The two soldiers charge in with their batons. Cinder's suit glowed orange before forging a pair of black blades from fire dust and utterly trounces them._

 _Cinder approaches the elevator as she waits for it to open up. Inside, two guards are present as Cinder casually walks in. One of them took notice of the fallen soldiers, but it was too late as Cinder quickly knocks them out. Once the elevator door opens, Cinder exits and walks towards the control consoles. "A party guest is leaving." Emerald said via ear-bud._

 _Cinder sighs and asked, "Which one?"_

" _Ironwood." Emerald answered._

" _I guess the general's had enough fun for one night." Mercury said. "Should we intervene?"_

 _Random codes appeared on screen until it showed a picture of a queen and king chess pieces. "No, we're done here." Cinder said as she got up. But, the sound of the elevator coming up caused her to retreat under the desk._

 _The elevator door opens as Ruby enters the room cautiously. "Hello? Is anyone there? Hello?" Cinder decides to rise up from her hiding spot and face Ruby. "Excuse me? You know, it's not a masquerade party, so why don't you take off that-!" She was quickly cut off as Cinder pulls out an ice dust container and sent shards of ice at Ruby._

 _Ruby quickly blocks the shards of ice before firing her Crescent Rose at her. Cinder simply blocked the bullets before quickly forging the black blades. Ruby quickly charges in for a downward slash, but Cinder back flips away and forges a bow and arrows. She fired the explosive arrows at Ruby, knocking her back to the elevator as it opens, revealing Shuichi and Deneb on the other side. "Ruby, are you alright?!" He looks up at Cinder before saying to Deneb, "Deneb, suppressing fire!"_

" _ **Roger!"**_ _Deneb shouted before firing at Cinder, keeping her at bay._

 _Ruby got up and said, "That woman… we need to stop her!"_

" _I was planning to." Shuichi said as he wrapped the Zeronos belt around his waist. He pulled a card out of the cardholder before sliding a switch on top of the belt. The sounds of flute were playing as Shuichi shouts, "Henshin!" He slides the card through the belt as it called out._

 _ **ALTAIR FORM**_

 _His armor materialized as the green armor pieces and faceplate attached with it. Shuichi quickly formed his sword as he charges in towards Cinder. He goes in for a stab, but Cinder rolls out of the way and forges two black tomahawks. Shuichi charges in with a horizontal slash, but Cinder quickly back flips away and throws one of the tomahawk at him, knocking him back. Then, she goes in with a horizontal strike, but Shuichi blocks the attack and slashed upward, knocking her back._

 _As Cinder quickly got back up, Shuichi asked, "Who are you?"_

 _Cinder smirked as she said, "So... you're the Zeronos."_

" _How do you know who am I?" Shuichi asked, but he was quickly interrupted by Ironwood entering the scene. He took a glance at General Ironwood until he looked back and saw that she completely disappeared._

* * *

 _In a hallway, Cinder discards two bracelets and her mask to change from her stealth suit into a black dress and enters the dance. Two guards followed her as they unknowingly crush the bracelets underfoot. They enter the ballroom and are visibly confused at the sight of the crowded dance hall._

 _Cinder maneuvers through the crowd until she reached Emerald and Mercury. She taps on Emerald's shoulder as she asked, "Oh, may I cut in?"_

 _Emerald steps aside and said, "Of course." Just before Cinder dances with Mercury, Emerald hands her the ticket. "I've done what I've been told." Cinder nodded before taking the ticket out of her hands._

 _She stares at the ticket for a bit until she said, "Good work." Emerald nodded before leaving Cinder and Mercury alone to dance._

" _And how's your night been?" Mercury asked._

" _Mmm... a little more exciting than expected. I also met a certain green clad warrior."_

" _Should we be worried?" Mercury asked again._

" _Hardly... He put up a challenge, but he's manageable. And they'll be scratching their heads long after we finished what we came here for."_

" _So then what now?"_

" _Enjoy the rest of the night. After all, it is a party." Cinder said sinisterly as they continued dancing. She looked at the ticket one more as she read the date 10/10/2000. She smirked as she muttered, "This will be your fall, Den-O."_

* * *

After a fun night of dancing, Weiss and I decided that we should go back to our dorms. We walked down the hall until we reached Team RWBY's dorm. Weiss smiled and said, "I had a really great time, Kurokuu. I'm glad I got to spend time with you at the dance."

"Me too. I had a lot of fun as well." I said. Well, this is my cue. I should leave. "Well, goodnight." I said before walking towards my dorm.

But then, I felt Weiss' hand around my arm. "Wait!" Weiss said as she pulled me back. "Before you go…" She didn't say anything else as I felt her warm lips touch my cheeks. I immediately blushed as my heart began beating like crazy! Weiss was blushing as well as she said, "That's all. Good night." And with that, Weiss entered her dorm, leaving me breathless.

I slowly touched the spot where Weiss kissed me. Why do I feel like this when I'm with Weiss? Is it because I like her? Maybe there is something more to this? I pushed my thoughts aside as I walked back inside my dorm. I opened the door and saw that Shuichi, Mai, and Deneb aren't back. Mai is mostly likely still at the dance, but where's Shuichi and Deneb?

I quickly stripped out of my prom outfit and took a relaxing shower. Once I did so, I changed into a black tank top and red shorts before collapsing on my bed. Resting after a long night of fun.

* * *

 _As Kurokuu slept soundly, the closet door opened to Shuichi and Deneb, along with Ryutaros. Shuichi looked at Ryutaros and said, "Alright, go." Ryutaros nodded before jumping into Kurokuu, taking over his body. "Alright, we have everything we need for the climax to begin."_

* * *

(A/N:) This chapter was so fun to write! Anyways, when it comes with the fears of Kurokuu. It's always that he's afraid of the future or outcomes and loneliness. So I decided to exploit Kurokuu's fear of the future/ outcome to basically be a barrier for him to overcome when it comes to taking risks. I thought it would be something that Kurokuu should go through again so he could become a stronger and more confident character. And next chapter... I have a very special surprise. And it involves chicken wings!

Anyways, leave a review on what you thought about this chapter and I'll see you next chapter. Bye!


	18. Chapter 18: Advent! To the Top!

(A/N:) Hey everyone! Welcome back to a new chapter of Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time. And will you look at that, Volume 2 is about to wrap up soon. And I can't wait to write the finale arc! And also, the Blake trailer coming out next week! When I heard that news from MurderofBirds, I was so hyped to see it and I can't wait any longer! "*Ahem* And now back to important subjects at hand. Before we begin, I would like to say a few things. I just want to tell you all that I won't be uploading many chapters now due to school starting, so I hope you'll all understand that. But, I'll try to do my best and upload at least 1 or 2 chapters a month. But now with that out of the way, leave a review on what you thought about this chapter, and I hope you all enjoy!

 **Ultimate Kuuga:** I just want to clear up that Kurokuu and Weiss are not together yet. Although the kiss on the cheek thing was cute and all, the scene wasn't intended to confirm their relationship yet.

I do not I own the rights to the series RWBY or Kamen Rider. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth Productions and The Kamen Rider Series is owned by Toei Company

"Normal Speech"

'Thoughts/Inner communication between OC and imagin'

 _"Third Person/Flashback"_

 **"Imagin speech"**

* * *

 _Tension filled the air as General Ironwood and Professor Goodwitch discuss about yesterday's intruder. "They were here…" Ironwood said. "Ozpin, they were here!" He slams his fist on the table._

" _We're very much aware of that! Thank you, James." Glynda said stressfully._

" _Fantastic! You're aware! Now are we going to do something about it or should we just stay the course and continue to ignore what's right in front of us?!" Ozpin sat quietly until an alert sound played, signalling that someone is coming up the elevator._

 _Professor Ozpin stood up and said, "Come in."_

 _The elevator door opens as Ruby and Shuichi stepped out and into the room. "Sorry it took so long. Someone accidentally hit all the buttons on the elevator on the way up here." Ruby lied. She paused for a moment before saying, "It was Shuichi."_

" _Liar." Shuichi said._

" _Thank you for coming, Ruby, Shuichi. How are you two feeling?"_

" _Okay, I guess. I'd feel better if my bad-guy-catching record wasn't O-for-three." Ruby said, trying to lighten up the mood._

 _Everyone stared at her as Shuichi whispered, "Not the time."_

" _Sorry." Ruby apologized said while scratching her head awkwardly._

 _Professor Ironwood walked up to the both of them and said to Ruby, "Ruby, I feel it's appropriate to let you know that I think what you did last night is exactly what being a Huntress is all about. You recognized a threat. You took action. And you did the very best you could."_

" _Thank you, sir."_

 _Ironwood then looked at Shuichi and said, "And you, I would like to thank you specifically for protect Ruby from harm. You did your part well as a huntsman and rider."_

" _Don't flatter me." Shuichi said while not making eye contact with Ironwood._

 _Professor Ozpin joined back in the conversation and said, "Now, the general here has already informed of the events that... transpired last night, but now that you've rested, we were wondering if you had anything to add."_

" _Was anyone else with her? Did she look familiar to you at all?" Professor Goodwitch asked._

" _I... I don't know. She was wearing a mask, and she never said anything to me. But I know she fought with glass. I don't think that was her Semblance, though. Her clothing lit up whenever she attacked." Ruby replied._

" _Save for the glass, that sounds like the woman I fought the night we met Ruby." Glynda commented._

" _Embedding Dust into clothing is an age-old technique. It could have been anyone." Ironwood stated._

" _Wait. You think this girl is connected to the White Fang?" Ruby asked._

" _It's possible. But we still lack the required evidence to link the two together." Ozpin said._

 _The General walked towards Ozpin and said, "I'll go try questioning Roman Torchwick. He's bound to know something about the White Fang and their initial plan."_

 _Ruby scratched her head for a bit and said, "Actually, I... I think I remember her saying something about a hideout, or something, in the southeast. Just outside the Kingdom."_

" _Interesting." Professor Ozpin said._

 _Professor Goodwitch looked at Ruby confusingly as she asked, "I thought you said the intruder never-"_

 _Ozpin interrupted Glynda and said, "Thank you for your cooperation, Ruby. Why don't you go and spend some time with your team? You have a big day tomorrow."_

" _Any time." Ruby said before walking away._

" _And Miss Rose, please try and be ... discreet about this matter."_

" _Yes, sir." Ruby said before entering the elevator. "I'll wait for you when you're done." The elevator door closed as she said that, leaving Shuichi alone with the Professors._

" _So... why did you call me for? I assume it isn't just for thanking me." Shuichi asked._

 _Professor Ozpin sat back down and said, "Well, I talked to Mai about the whole incident back at the highway. She told me a few things such as a red ticket. But, I want to hear from you about this whole situation between your team, Team RWBY, and this whole operation."_

 _Shuichi stared at Ozpin intensely until he said, "Well, by now, you all already know about the operation that Kurokuu and Team RWBY were doing. But what they found was intriguing. Currently, The White Fang is being lead by Gaoh."_

 _Professor Goodwitch and General Ironwood looked at Shuichi in shock as Ironwood shouts, "Gaoh?! HE'S LEADING THEM?!"_

" _Correct. And the red ticket they mentioned is what I believe to be the infinity ticket."_

" _I see." Professor Ozpin said. "And if he's doing what I think he's doing."_

" _Yes. He is."_

 _Ironwood slammed his hand against the table and said, "We need to stop him, and fast!" Ironwood looked at Shuichi and asked, "Shuichi, I would like to ask for your permission for the Zeronos belt you wield. This belt could help hasten our project, allowing all our soldiers to use it to fight!"_

" _That's a no, General. This belt is only meant to be used by me and me only. No one else can use it, unless if they want to disappear." Shuichi warned._

 _The General growled at him and said, "Can't you see the situation we're in?! Lives will be at stake if he gets his hands on the Gaoh-Liner!"_

" _James, that's enough." Professor Ozpin said. "Besides, the mechanic in the Zeronos belt works much more differently than the Den-O's belt, which you decided to build off from. And Mr. Nakamura knows the risks of using the belt, so I suggest you heed his warning."_

 _Shuichi cleared his throat and said, "For now, The Owner will be protecting the pass for now. Just let Kurokuu and I handle it."_

" _Agreed. You may leave now, Shuichi." Professor Ozpin said. As Shuichi waited at the elevator, Professor Ozpin said, "But before you go, I just want to say that I thank for protect for Miss. Rose."_

" _Like I said, I'm not doing it for me or you. I'm doing it for her." Shuichi said before entering the elevator._

 _Once the elevator door closes, Ironwood glared at Ozpin and said, "Ozpin, are you out of your mind? You threw our chance away for making our army stronger!"_

" _James, like I said before, the belt Shuichi wields is much too dangerous for anyone else to wield." Ozpin warned. "And I have faith in those two that they can stop Gaoh."_

" _We can't win a war by relying on children and faith! We need to take action! Miss. Rose's information has given us an advantage! We can send as many troops as we can to the southeast, find out exactly what's going on, and eradicate any forces that stand in our way!"_

 _Professor Goodwitch growled frustratingly and said, "Why must your answer to everything involve a triumphant display of military bravado!? You treat every situation like it's a contest of measuring di-!_

" _Glynda!" Professor Ozpin shouted._

" _Well, he does."_

" _She's right. As much as I too would love to end this situation once and for all, we must remember that this may go beyond Vale. Beyond Beacon. And if this truly is part of some master plan for which we know not the final move, we mustn't be so bold. Nor can we risk the spread of panic."_

 _The General stared intensely into Ozpin's eyes as he said, "I have served you faithfully for years... but if you mean to tell me that your plan is to really hold the defenses, and wait-!"_

 _Professor Ozpin abruptly stood up from his seat and said, "It is not! You're a general, James. So tell me, when you prepare to go to war, which do you send in first? The flag bearers, or the scouts?"_

* * *

 **Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time**

 **Chapter 18: Advent! To the Top!**

* * *

It has been a day since the dance. And at of this moment, Professor Ozpin called Ruby and Shuichi to his office for some apparent reason. It could be the rumors that were floating around that someone managed to infiltrate our school somehow, but he or she was stopped by Ruby and a green clad warrior, most likely Shuichi.

So here I am, waiting for Ruby and Shuichi to return from their meeting with Professor Ozpin. As we wait, Yang have take it upon herself to bombard me with questions. "KUROKUU, SINCE WHEN COULD YOU SING?"

"Yeah, I want to know too!" Mai said excitedly as she joined in. "You sang so beautifully yesterday!"

Deneb looked at me with surprise while cleaning the room **, "You could sing?!"**

I scratched my head nervously and said, "Well... I always knew how to sing?"

"No. There's no way you have a voice like that!" Yang denied.

"I... do a lot of singing back when I was in school. I was part of my school choir." I explained to everyone.

Mai, Yang, and Deneb stared at me until Mai said, "Wow. I didn't take you for much of a singer."

"Or being into performing arts in general." Yang added.

I sighed and said, "Yeah... I get that a lot."

Blake joined in on the conversation and asked, "So... is that why you didn't have to set up the dance with us?"

"Yep. Ozpin somehow knew that I could sing and decided to make me perform at the dance with Casey and Jeff Williams. And for several days, I had to learn the song with them."

Yang puts her hands behind her head as she said, "Lucky, you got to perform with Remnant's best singing duo."

"Yeah... it was kinda nerve-racking." I said as I remembered the performance from yesterday. Seeing all those eyes staring at me.

Weiss patted my shoulder and said, "Well, you did great."

I smiled at her compliment as Yang said, "Yeah, maybe a little too great. Right, Weiss?" Weiss simply glared back at her with her signature icy cold eyes. "Alright, shutting up now."

"Well, we all had a great night. Blake, you certainly look much better than when you were on Friday."

"Thanks, I'm sorry for making you all worry." Blake apologize.

Yang smiled as she wrapped her arm around Blake and said, "It's fine, Blake. We're just glad that you're feeling better now."

Then, we heard the door being unlocked as Ruby and Shuichi returned. We all looked up as I asked, "Shuichi, Ruby, how'd it go?"

Shuichi rubbed the back of his neck as he said, "Let's say the situation for me was... tense."

"It went…okay for me." Ruby answered.

Weiss looked at Ruby and asked, "So, what did Ozpin say or ask?"

"He just asked me a few things about yesterday. There was someone who infiltrated Beacon."

We all stared at Ruby and Shuichi as Mai said, "So, it is true."

" **Yes."** Deneb said. " **Shuichi and I saw a woman running across the rooftops. When we followed her, she was fighting Ruby."**

"Were you able to catch her?" Blake asked.

"No." Shuichi answered. "She managed to escape once General Ironwood came."

"That was a risky move, Ruby. You don't even know what she could do and yet, you still went after her." Weiss lectured.

I laid my hand on Weiss' shoulder and said, "Weiss, let it go. In the end, they're both okay." I looked at Ruby and said, "I think you handled it well."

"I hope so." Ruby said gloomily.

Yang walked up to Ruby and placed her hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure everything will be alright, Ruby." Yang perked her eyes up as she said, "Oh, I know what will cheer you up!" She walked over to her desk and picked up the cylinder looking package.

"What's that?"

"I don't know yet. Dad sent it to us. I thought we could open it together!"

"Ooooh! Something from home!" Ruby squealed as she dashed towards Yang. She clings onto Yang as Ruby tries to take the package away from her. Yang opens the package as all that came out was a large surplus of canned dog food and can opener. Strange, why would someone send them dog food? Our school doesn't even allow dogs on premise. Well, unless you count the beowolves.

We all stared at the canned dog food as Shuichi asked, "Uh... do one of you guys eat dog food or something?"

"No! That's disgusting!" Weiss shouted.

"Yang, why would your dad send you guys dog food and a can opener?" I asked.

"I don't know." Yang replied. "There's no note."

Deneb looks at the pile and said **, "Found the note!"** He leaned down and picked up the note. " **Dear girls, I've got to leave the island for a few days, so I'm sending Zwei to you to take care of. Enclosed is all the food you should need. Love you both, Taiyang."**

Ruby is filled with joy as she said, "ZWEI IS HERE!" She snatched the package away from Yang and shakes it around, hoping that the dog would plop out.

"Ruby, I don't think a dog could even fit in there." Blake said.

"Oh, you don't know our dad. He does this all the time." Yang said. "Strange, looks like Zwei isn't here."

Mai sighed and said, "Yang, you do know that there is a no pet policy here. If you guys get caught, the Professor would take it away."

"Don't worry, Mai. He's just gonna stay in our room, once we find him." Yang said as she looked outside their dorm.

Then, someone's scroll started ringing as we all immediately checked our scroll to see it was for us. I saw that my scroll wasn't ringing, meaning that it had to be someone else. Mai picked her's up as she said, "Hello? Yes, right away."

As she ended the call, Shuichi asked, "Who was that?"

"The Owner. He said he wanted to talk to all of us." Mai replied.

"All of us? Why?" I asked.

"I don't know, but he said he needs to see us now."

We all nodded, except Ruby, who said, "Wait, but what about Zwei?"

"We'll find him later, Rubes. He's a smart dog." Yang said. She then grabbed Ruby by her hood and said, "Now, come on. We gotta talk to The Owner." We all stood in front of the closet door as Mai opened it to the Sands of Time. We entered the inside as the Den-Liner was already there waiting. We boarded on the Den-Liner and entered the dining car, where we see Momotaros, Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros all sitting quietly.

The Owner stood in the middle of the car as he turned around and said, "Please, take a seat. This is a serious matter." Weiss and I sat next to each other as everyone found their seats.

Ruby felt the tense atmosphere as she asked nervously, "So... what seems to be the serious situation that you had to call all of us here."

The Owner looked directly at Ruby and said, "Well, to get this out of the way." The Owner then reached into his jacket and pulled out a black and white-furred corgi. How the heck did he hide the dog in his jacket?

Ruby's eyes widen as she shouted, "ZWEI!" She took the corgi, now known as Zwei, away from The Owner. "Thank you so much for finding him!" Ruby said as Zwei started to lick her face.

"It was no problem at all. But, I've been having some issues lately." The Owner said as he turned around and faced Mai. "As you know, our Den-Liner has no pets policy. And yet, we've been hearing some complaints from the passengers that they keep on hearing barking noises."

Naomi was cleaning the mugs as she said, "Also, the food in the dining car has been disappearing lately."

Shuichi then asked, "Okay, then why does it involve us for?"

"On to my next point, Shuichi." The Owner answered. "Being the conductor, I decided to look around for the source of the noise until I saw Ryutaros bringing in that dog."

We all turned our heads towards Ryutaros, who said **, "Why are you all looking at me like that? These pets need a home, so I brought them here!"**

Momotaros looked slightly afraid of Zwei as he asked **, "Are you trying to kill me?! That dog just kept on chasing me, biting my ankle, and peeing on me!"**

Yang chuckled a little as she taunted, "What's wrong, Momotaros? Afraid of dogs?"

" **Shut it, Goldilocks!"** Momotaros shouted.

"Enough!" The Owner said. "Back to the story, I decided to follow Ryutaros to see where he would lead me. And who I found was very interesting. Follow me." We followed The Owner as we exit the dining car and entered another car. As we entered inside, we all saw feathers flying everywhere as dogs and cats are seen running around.

The room has white curtains hanging along the ceiling, a small table holding a vase with flowers, and a luxurious leather chair, but that wasn't the most important part. Because sitting on that chair is an imagin with a swan like motif, who is holding a baby in his hands. The swan imagin has a white body and pale blue eyes. He wears a small white coat that has a feathers at the ends of the sleeves, two golden gauntlets, and a breast plate with a wing like design on it.

We stood there quietly until Momotaros jumped up and hid behind Urataros. " **AH, DOGS! GET IT AWAY FROM ME!"**

"That's not the important part." Mai said before walking up to the swan imagin. "Ryutaros, who the hell is he?!"

The swan imagin slowly points at the air as he said **, "You... people."** He gets up from his seat. " **How rude. Show your manners when you appear before me."**

* * *

 _Meanwhile in the city of Vale, a man is seen running around, frantically looking for someone. He has a pale complexion with green eyes and brown hair. He is wearing white tank top and brown cargo shorts. The man looks around until he sees a mother pushing a baby carriage._

 _He gets his hopes up as he rushes over to the woman and checks the carriage, only to see that it wasn't the baby he was looking for. "Um, did you need something?" The woman asked._

" _Oh, no. I'm just looking for someone." The man answered. The woman looked at him weirdly before walking away. He sits against the wall as he said to himself, "Damn! Where's that baby?!"_

 _Then, a yellow orb floated over the man before jumping inside him. Sand poured out of him as it slowly formed into an imagin with a scorpion motif. The man stared at it in fear and slowly backed away from it._ " _ **Tell me your wish, and I'll grant that wish. Just make sure to give me something that doesn't require so much work."**_

 _The man stared at it until he thought about what the scorpion imagin said. He slowly calms down as he said, "I need you to find the boss of the Tsubasa Clothing Company."_

" _ **Good, an easy job."**_ _The scorpion imagin said as it gained its physical body._

* * *

Momotaros sniffed the air as he said **, "There's an imagin!"**

"Where?" I asked.

" **Downtown Vale."** Momotaros said.

I was ready to leave until Shuichi stopped me. "Shuichi, what're wrong?" I asked.

"Kurokuu, you need to stay here. Since we have two imagins to deal with, I'll handle the other one and you handle him." Shuichi replied.

I sighed and reluctantly said, "Alright, sounds good." We still don't know what the swan imagin is planning, so it's too dangerous to leave him unsupervised.

"Good. Deneb, let's go." Shuichi said as he and Deneb left to go after the imagin.

As they left, Blake asked everyone, "So... what do we do about the imagin and the baby?"

"I don't know. I guess for now we just try not to hurt the baby." Mai said. She then looked at the imagins and said, "And you guys better not try to excite it!"

" **Got it…"** Momotaros said.

We all stared at the swan imagin as he said **, "The servant over there."** We looked at each other, wondering who he meant by servant. " **The one with the white cloak."**

Mai didn't take it too kindly as she said, "Me? Servant?!"

We all shushed Mai, trying to prevent her from scaring the baby. The swan imagin stood up and said **, "I assign you to be the baby sitter for my little brother. This is a very important role that you should be grateful for."**

As he presented the baby to Mai, I saw the uncertainty on her face. I whispered to Mai, "Mai, this is for the baby." Mai took a deep breath before taking the baby out of the swan imagin's hands. Team RW(B)Y gathered around Mai as they began entertaining the baby.

"Aw, look at him!" Yang said.

"I know! He's so cute!" Ruby said as she poked the baby.

Blake watched from the distance,fearing that Zwei would see her. "Yeah. I guess he is."

Then, the baby looked at Weiss before grabbing her finger. Mai chuckled softly and said, "I think he's taking a liking to you. Wanna hold him? I'm not very good with babies."

"Oh…okay." Weiss said nervously as Mai handed off the baby to her.

As Team RWBY and Mai took care of the baby, Urataros asked the swan imagin **, "Just who are you?"**

" **My name is Sieg. But, you may call me prince if you like."** The swan imagin, now named Sieg, said.

Momotaros slowly walked up to Sieg and said **, "Oi, oi, you have a very delicious sounding name."**

Kintaros sighed and said **, "Not pudding. Prince."**

I looked at Momotaros and asked, "How could you get those words mixed up?"

" **I'm just hungry, okay?!"** Momotaros shouted. Team RWBY and Mai all kicked Momotaros in the shin, shutting him up. He growled in pain as he rubbed his shin. " **Sorry! Geez…"**

I sighed softly before asking Sieg, "So... Where did this baby come from?"

Sieg turned his back against me and said **, "At first, we were together…"**

"At first, we were together? Don't... tell me…you possessed the baby?"

" **Of course I have!"** Sieg said as he faced towards us. What? Why would he possess the baby? " **I didn't expect it though. However…"** He slowly walked up to me as he said **, "For me to be a baby would be a disgrace."**

"So, you're saying that you were forced to possess the baby?" Blake questioned.

" **Not... exactly."** He looked at me before saying **, "You'll do for now."** Wait, what does he mean by that? Suddenly, he turned translucent and jumped inside my body.

'Come on! Are you kidding me?!' I shouted as I was surrounded in a white void.

" **Your body is just right for me. Be a good servant and let me use it."**

I growled in anger and said, 'No way that I'm letting you use my body!' I attempted to kick Sieg out, but for some reason, I couldn't. 'What the? Why can't I kick you out?!'

" **You're a resilient one. Try all you want, but you'll never kick me out unless I want to."** Sieg said. I growled as I continued to find a way to kick him out.

* * *

 _Team RWBY, Mai, Momotaros, Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros all stared in shock as they see Kurokuu being taken over by Sieg. His appearance changed as his eyes turned white, his hair is styled in cornrows and has several white highlights with one longer white and black lock on the left side of his face, and Kurokuu's red muffler changed colors from red to pure white._

" _ **Tori-chan possessed Kurokuu!"**_ _Ryutaros said._

 _They stared as Sieg looked like he was talking to Kurokuu._ " _ **Your body is just right for me. Be a good servant and let me use it."**_ _Sieg stayed quiet for moment before facing towards Mai and the group and said_ _ **, "You're a resilient one. Try all you want, but you'll never kick me out unless I want to."**_ _Sieg pointed to the ceiling and said_ _ **, "Advent."**_

" _ **No way!"**_ _Urataros said._

" _He took over Kurokuu even when he had a contract!" Mai said in shock._

 _Momotaros growled and said_ _ **, "Oi! What've you done?!"**_ _Momotaros then charged straight into Sieg, trying to push him out. But, Momotaros just ran straight through him and crashed into the chair._

 _Everyone gasped again as Yang said, "Momotaros can't push him out!"_

 _Momotaros was trying to get up, but Sieg placed his chair on Momotaros' back and sat on him, crushing Momotaros underneath._ " _ **Please do not be so disgraceful. This young man has done me a great deed for allowing me to use his body."**_ _Then, Sieg's stomach started rumbling loudly._ " _ **Well, it seems like I'm quite famished. I'll find someone to make me a meal."**_ _Sieg said before standing back up, allowing Momotaros to breathe. Sieg then exits the car and heads towards the dining car._

 _Momotaros rubbed his back painfully as he said_ _ **, "I want to punch his face... SO BAD!"**_

" _Agreed." Yang said as she cracked her knuckles._

 _Ruby got in between them and said, "Guys, that's not a good idea. He's still in Kurokuu's body."_

" _ **I know! That's why I'll have the brat deal with it!"**_ _Momotaros said as he looked at Ryutaros._

" _ **Great idea, Senpai!"**_ _Urataros said._

" _Alright, just be careful. We don't know how powerful he is." Weiss said while rocking the baby to sleep._

 _Kintaros pat Weiss on the head and said_ _ **, "It'll be fine! There's nothing to worry about!"**_ _Team RWBY and Mai all sighed at the same time as they followed the Taros out the car and into the dining car. The Taros watched silently as they see Sieg eating steak._

 _Momotaros then grabbed Ryutaros and said_ _ **, "Alright, this is your chance! Now go!"**_ _Ryutaros didn't have time to prepare as Momotaros tossed him straight into Sieg, but instead of pushing Sieg out, he fell straight through like Momotaros._

 _Ryutaros crashed into a bench as he looked up and asked_ _ **, "What? I can't enter! Why?"**_

" _He's more powerful than Ryutaros!" Mai said in shock._

" _ **Damn it, it didn't work!"**_ _Momotaros cursed as he tried thinking up of a new way to kick sieg out._

" _If Ryutaros can't enter him either... just who is this imagin?!" Blake asked._

 _Kintaros pushed them aside as he said_ _ **, "Alright! I'll force him out!"**_

" _Wait, Kintaros!" Mai said while stopping him. "For now, we have to get him to tell us the situation. We have to return the baby back to his mother!" Mai walked to Sieg's seat and sat down._

 _Sieg took a sip of coffee and said_ _ **, "Well said. The baby needs his mother."**_

 _Mai looked taken back by his commented as she asked, "What? You want to return him? Earlier, you just said that you possessed the child. Meaning that you made a contract with it."_

" _ **I didn't."**_ _Sieg said before wiping his mouth with a napkin._ " _ **I don't really remember though…"**_

" _But why that baby?" Blake asked. "Why choose him than any other?"_

" _ **I did not plan this. At first, I possessed his mother. That day we happened to meet. I picked to mother about... half a year ago?"**_ _Sieg said as he pointed at the baby in Weiss' arms._

" _ **That long ago?!"**_ _Urataros said in a surprised manner._ " _ **And you didn't make a contract?"**_

" _ **I want to, but… I don't remember!"**_ _Sieg proclaimed._

 _Everyone groaned as Mai asked, "Wait, if you're still here… Does that mean you didn't fly back?"_

" _ **Why is it need for me to make a move? I should not be the one moved. It is the world that should move around me! Because everything exists for me and only me."**_ _Sieg said while waving his hand around in a circular motion._ _Then, he stood up and made his way back to the other car._

" _Self-centered much?" Yang commented as she, Team RWBY, Mai, and the Taros follow Sieg._

 _Sieg entered the car as he said_ _ **, "But during my time with the mother, I somehow fell into a deep sleep. And during that time of sleep…"**_

 _Everyone tried to connect the dots as Blake asked, "You... bonded with the baby?"_

" _...Before he was born!" Ruby finished as she carried Zwei in her arms._

 _Sieg sat in his chair and said_ _ **, "I have no memory of that. But when I awoke, I was with the baby. I didn't know where I was. I took my brother and left the confined space and that's when…"**_ _He pointed at Ryutaros._ " _ **I met this boy."**_ _He made himself comfortable and said_ _ **, "That's all that happened."**_

 _Ryutaros starting feeling uneasy as he felt everyone's eyes glaring at him._ " _ **What? I love birds!"**_

" _ **Minions without a master… Don't fret, I'll be your new master. Okay? My brother's mother is my mother. Find the mother I was once part of. Go!"**_ _Instead of them doing his bidding like he thought, they simply just stood there, staring at Sieg._ " _ **What is it? Did you not hear?"**_

 _Weiss stepped up and said sternly, "We're not your servants."_

 _Sieg's eyes seemed to soften as he walked up to her and held her hand._ " _ **Of course... you're not a servant. With such high class and beauty, I shouldn't be lumping you along with these servants."**_ _Sieg then placed a kiss on her hand._ " _ **My apologies, princess."**_ _Weiss was blushing a bit before pulling her hand away from Sieg. Sieg looked back up to Yang and Momotaros as he pointed at them and commanded_ _ **, "Red one and the blonde one, hurry and get going!"**_

 _This set Momotaros and Yang off as they both approached him._ " _ **Don't summon me by color, jerk!"**_ _Momotaros said as he slapped Sieg's hand away._

 _Yang grabbed Sieg by the jacket and said, "I'm called many things and if you call me 'the blonde one' one more time, I'll personally introduce you to the ground. And it'll be very. Intimate."_

 _Sieg smirked as he said_ _ **, "Oh? And would... 'blondie' be better?"**_

 _That was Yang's last straw as she lashed out and socked Sieg right in the face. Momotaros was ready to join in until Kintaros and Urataros stopped him._ " _ **Senpai, stop! This is Kurokuu's body you're about to hurt!"**_ _Urataros said while he and Kintaros were stomping on Sieg's foot._

" _ **I'm gonna turn you to fried chicken!"**_ _Momotaros threatened._ " _ **Let go!"**_

 _While Urataros and Kintaros are "dealing" with Momotaros, Mai and the rest of Team RWBY were holding Yang back. "Yang, stop it! That's enough!" Blake shouted._

" _No, it's that bird bastard! Let go of me so I can sock him again!" Yang said while struggling to get free._

" _Yang Xiao Long, cease this behavior!" Weiss shouted._

 _Sieg managed to get back up and said_ _ **, "You minions! You dare attack your master?!"**_ _Sieg then pointed at everyone and said_ _ **, "Kneel! KNEEL DOWN TO ME!"**_ _Once he said that, Momotaros, Urataros, Kintaros, and Yang were all slowly shrinking until a puff of smoke turned them all tiny._

 _Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Mai, and Ryutaros gasped as they all crouched to the floor and saw them running around. "WHAT THE?! HOW DID YOU GET SO BIG!" Yang asked with a high pitched voice._

" _ **Ha! Ha! Everyone is so tiny!"**_ _Ryutaros exclaimed as he poked Momotaros._

" _ **OI, CHICKEN WING BASTARD! TURN US BACK!"**_ _Momotaros shouted with a high pitch voice._

 _Sieg sat back on his chair and said_ _ **, "You'll all get your body's returned back to normal soon."**_

" _ **WHAT?!"**_ _Momotaros shouted until he heard panting. He looked up and saw Zwei staring at him._ " _ **Nice…doggy…"**_ _Then, Zwei started barking as he chased Momotaros around._ " _ **LEAVE ME ALONE, DOG!"**_

 _Mai sighed and said, "Well, it doesn't matter now. We still need to find the baby's mother."_

" _Agreed." Weiss said. "I say we go to the VPD to see if anyone knew about this baby."_

" _Sounds good. But... what do we do about them?" Blake asked as she sees Ruby and Ryutaros playing around with the mini Urataros, Kintaros, and Yang while, Zwei kept on chasing the mini Momotaros._

" _We'll stay behind and watch them." Ruby said as she picked up Zwei off the ground._

" _Okay, sounds like a plan then." Mai said._

 _Sieg stood up from his chair and said_ _ **, "I would like to go to. I want to go home with my brother."**_

" _Fine. Just stay close." Mai said to Sieg._

" _ **Yes. I understand."**_ _Sieg said. He walked over to Weiss and said_ _ **, "Princess, allow me to carry my brother."**_ _Weiss willingly obliges as she hands the baby over to Sieg._ " _ **Now... shall we?"**_

* * *

 _Back in the city of Vale, Shuichi and Deneb are seen searching for the imagin. "Deneb, can you sense the imagin anywhere?"_

" _ **I'm sorry, I can't seem to find him."**_ _Deneb said._

 _Shuichi sighed and said, "Just keep your eyes peeled."_

 _As they kept searching, Deneb noticed how distracted Shuichi is. Concerned for his partner, Deneb asked_ _ **, "Shuichi, is something wrong?"**_

 _Shuichi snapped out of his thoughts and quickly blew him off by saying, "It's nothing."_

 _Deneb sighed and said_ _ **, "Shuichi, I know that there's something wrong. You can tell me."**_

 _Shuichi stayed silent for a moment before sighing and said, "Just thinking about yesterday."_

" _ **Oh? And why is that?"**_

" _It's just... have you ever wondered how the intruder got in to begin with?" Shuichi asked._

 _Deneb thought quietly to himself before saying_ _ **, "Huh... I never thought about that."**_

" _I've been thinking about it for a bit. There are only two ways to get into Beacon. One being doing the hard way and travelling across the lake and climbing up the cliffside. And the other…"_

 _Deneb seemed confused for a moment before finally catching on to what Shuichi meant._ " _ **Are you saying…"**_

" _Yeah, I think the intruder snuck in as a student." Shuichi said. "The intruder must've snuck in when all the academies arrived."_

 _Deneb rubbed his head stressfully as he said_ _ **, "Oh, no. What do we do? The intruder could be anyone!"**_

 _Shuichi sighed and said, "I don't know. But if what Ruby suspected could be true, then we might know a way to find the intruder."_

" _ **What did Ruby suspect?"**_

" _She suspected that the intruder could be part of the White Fang. If we could get our hands on Gaoh, we might get our answers." Shuichi said._

" _ **That's a great idea, Shuichi!"**_ _Deneb said excitedly before bear hugging him._

" _Deneb, stop that! We're in the public!" Shuichi said before seeing an imagin jumping from rooftops to rooftops. "Deneb! The imagin!"_

 _Deneb lets go of Shuichi and said_ _ **, "Oh, I see him!"**_

" _He's heading towards the high class area!" Shuichi shouted as he connected the Zeronos belt around his waist. "Deneb, after him!"_

" _ **Roger!"**_ _Deneb said as he and Shuichi ran after him._

* * *

 _Meanwhile on the Den-Liner, Ruby is seen eating with Zwei while Ryutaros is poking mini Momotaros, Urataros, Kintaros, and Yang on the counter._ " _ **How about this?"**_ _Ryutaros said as he poked Momotaros in the face._

" _Okay, boy! You want the chicken? You want to chicken?!" Ruby bribed as she dangled a piece of chicken leg in front of him. Zwei nodded his head yes as Ruby said, "Okay, here!" Zwei barks happily as he hops up and grabbed the chicken leg with his mouth. Ruby pets her dog until she looks up and sees The Owner appear out of nowhere in his usual spot. She jumps a bit as she said, "Owner! You scared me!"_

" _My apologies, Miss. Rose. I just came here for a meal." The Owner said as Naomi served him a plate of pudding with a flag on it. "May I ask where have Sieg, Mai, Miss. Belladonna, and Miss. Schnee gone off to?"_

" _Oh, they're searching for the baby's home." Ruby answered. "I stayed behind to watch over Yang…" She gestured over to Ryutaros as The Owner sees him playing around with the mini Momotaros, Urataros, Kintaros, and Yang._

" _I see. I assume Sieg is the one behind that?"_

 _Ruby nodded and said, "Yeah. I'm still wondering why he's so powerful. I mean, he's more powerful than Ryutaros!"_

 _The Owner took his first spoonful of pudding as he said, "My personal theory for his abilities could be because of the baby." He then took a bite, savoring the sweet flavor._

" _How?" Ruby asked._

" _Well, I believe that appearing by being born in 2017 is what gave him those abilities. To possess others while still being bound to a contract and the abilities to shrink a person's height." The Owner said as he takes another bite of the pudding._

" _ **Woah! Look at this!"**_ _Ryutaros exclaimed as he moved out of the way, allowing The Owner, Naomi, and Ruby to see what's happening. Momotaros', Urataros', Kintaros', and Yang's heads returned back to normal, but their bodies are still trying to grow back._

 _Then, in a puff of smoke, they all have their bodies back to their normal sizes. Momotaros growled as he grabbed Ryutaros from behind and shouted_ _ **, "BRAT, THIS IS WHAT YOU GET!"**_ _Momotaros picked him up and slammed him into the ground. Zwei growled at Momotaros before charging after him._ " _ **AHHHHH! BAD DOG! GET AWAY!"**_

 _The Owner took another spoonful as he said to himself, "The baby... What will become of him?"_

* * *

I sat quietly in the white void as I watch what everything is happening around me. Luckily, Sieg doesn't seemed to be the one that would hurt somebody, so I let him go for now. But damn, he's powerful. Even more powerful after seeing him not being fazed by Ryutaros' possession attempt. How is he this powerful?

At this moment, Weiss, Blake, Mai, and Sieg are at the police station to try to identify who the baby is and where he lives. Mai turned to Sieg and said, "Sieg, whatever you do, do not move anywhere." Sieg nodded as Mai, Blake, and Weiss entered inside.

As Sieg sat down with the baby, I thought it'd be a good time to talk to him. 'Hey, Sieg.'

" **Oh? You're still here."** Sieg said with a surprised tone.

'Well, yeah. You are in my body. Good thing you're not as heavy as Ryutaros or the others.' Sieg sighed as he stayed quiet. 'So, I hear you want to go home with your brother.'

" **Of course. His mother is my mother and we must stay together."** Sieg said.

'Okay, but what if you couldn't be with your family?' I questioned.

Sieg scoffed as he said **, "Preposterous! I'll be welcomed with open arms. Besides…"** The baby's crying caught Sieg's attention as he immediately tries to sooth him. " **The world revolves around me after all."** As the baby slowly calms down, Sieg suddenly said **, "I remember now."**

Sieg quickly got up as I asked, 'Wait, remember what?'

" **My home."** Sieg replied.

'Okay, then shouldn't you wait for the others?' I suggested. 'If they see you with the baby, they might think you're the kidnapper!'

" **It'll be fine. Now, I must return home."** Sieg said as he kept on walking. Damn, he's not listening. How am I supposed to tell everyone where Sieg's going?!

* * *

 _Mai, Weiss, and Blake entered inside as they see several cops running around. They walked up to the front desk as they see a cop looking over some files. He has a slight tanned complexion with brown eyes, dark brown hair that is combed over to the right, and a beauty mark on his chin. He's wearing a blue suit with a white dress shirt, red tie, and black shoes. He also has a silver ring on his left ring finger._

 _Weiss cleared her throat as she said, "Excuse me?"_

 _The young cop looks over and said, "Oh, may I help you?"_

" _Oh, yes. I've been wondering if anyone has filed a missing baby report?" Weiss asked._

" _Let me see. I'll try to find some files." The young cop walked over to the file cabinet and began sifting through the files on kidnappings. Then, the cop pulled out two files and walked back to the front desk. He laid down the two files and said, "These are the two files relating to missing baby reports."_

 _Mai takes one of the files and opens it up. Weiss and Blake looked at the file and saw a picture of the baby. "This is it." Blake said. The file has a picture of the baby as well as the witness' claim, which came from the mother. The mother's name Hakucho Tsubasa and the missing baby's name is Shouji Tsubasa._

 _Weiss' eyes widen as she said, "Tsubasa?! I know her!"_

" _Who is she?" Blake asked._

" _She's the CEO of the Tsubasa Clothing Company, where they make outfits for huntsmen and huntresses! My father tried to make a joint business with them, but they denied the offer."_

" _Gee, I wonder why." Blake said sarcastically._

" _Hush, Blake!" Weiss snapped back._

" _Guys, enough." Mai said. She looked at the file once more and saw the house address of Hakucho. She hands the file back to the cop and said, "Thank you for your help. We really appreciate it."_

" _No problem. I assume you huntresses are trying to find the baby?" The cop asked. They all nodded. "Well, I hope you find the baby soon and bring him home. We've been kinda busy with a lot things at the moment."_

" _We'll bring him home safe and sound." Blake said._

 _The young cop smiled at them until an angry voice shouted, "SHINNOSUKE!"_

 _The young cop, now named Shinnosuke, froze as he turns around and sees a another cop. She has dons a female police uniform that has a blue blazer with two white stripes at the ends of the sleeves, a white dress shirt, and red tie. She also wears a blue skirt with two white stripes at the ends and black shoes. She also dons a silver ring on her left ring finger._

 _Shinnosuke rubs his head nervously and said, "Kiriko! What's going on?" The female cop, now named Kiriko, walks towards him and pulls on his ear. "Ow! Ow! Ow!"_

" _Do you not care about the regulations? You're giving civilians very sensitive and important information. What if they were criminals?" Kiriko lectured._

" _They're huntresses! And second, I trust them. I can see their intentions!"_

" _No excuses! I can't believe you would..." Mai, Weiss, and Blake saw how awkward the situation was and decided to leave as the couple kept on arguing._

" _Well, at least we got the information now." Blake said._

" _Agreed. Sieg, let's-" Mai stopped mid-sentence as she noticed that Sieg and Shouji were gone._

" _They're gone?! Damn, Sieg! I told him not to go anywhere!"_

" _Hold on, Mai." Blake said. "Sieg wouldn't just wander off without knowing where he's going."_

 _Weiss starts to ponder about the situation before asking, "Do you think he remembers where they live?"_

" _Maybe. That's the only thing we could come up with and the only reasonable place he would go."_

 _Mai calmed down and said, "Alright. Let's just hope he's at the house." Weiss and Blake nodded as they all ran to the Tsubasa residence._

* * *

 _Shuichi panted heavily as he and Deneb followed the imagin to a large Mistralian styled mansion with a wall surrounding it._ " _ **Is that the house?"**_ _Deneb asked in between his breaths._

" _I think so. Let's keep it eye on it for a bit." Shuichi said until someone else caught his eyes. Deneb noticed it as well as they see Sieg in Kurokuu's body walking towards the gate entrance. "Kurokuu? But... something's off."_

" _ **We should follow him."**_ _Deneb said. Shuichi agreed as he and Deneb got closer to him and hid behind a tree as cover._

 _They watch as Sieg stood in front of the gate and said_ _ **, "Without a doubt, this is it."**_ _Then, the side door opened as a guard walked out with a baton in his hands. Sieg points at him and said_ _ **, "Gate watchman. Show me inside."**_

 _The gate watchman only glared at him as more guards arrived and surrounded him. "What is Kurokuu doing?" Shuichi asked Deneb._

" _ **I don't know. But, this aura feels familiar. It could be that swan imagin on the Den-Liner."**_ _Deneb said._

" _Well, Kurokuu needs to kick him out now!" Shuichi said._

 _The guards got their batons ready as one of them asked Sieg, "Did you kidnap this baby?"_

" _ **Kidnap?"**_ _Sieg said confusingly._

" _Hand the baby over!" The guard commanded._

" _ **Don't be ridiculous! This is my brother. I'm not handing him over!"**_

 _The situation slowly escalated as one of the guards shouted, "Final warning, hand the baby over to our custody and leave this private property immediately!"_

 _The guards pointed their batons at Sieg as he said_ _ **, "How unpleasant. I'll let you handle the situation."**_

* * *

I felt Sieg jump out of my body, leaving me with a bunch of angry guards. All their eyes are fixated on me as I started to panic a little. Oh, crap! What do I do?! I can't believe Sieg left me with his mess! Then, a woman's scream caught the guards' attention as they all faced the mansion. One of them grabbed my jacket and asked me, "Hey! What have you done?!"

I was about to answer until an arrow appeared at the corner of my eye. The arrow started beeping until it releases some kind of smoke. The guards were blinded as I hear a familiar voice calling out, "Hey, Kurokuu! Let's go!"

"Shuichi!" I said as he grabbed the sleeves of my jacket and pulled me away from the situation.

As we fled from the entrance, Deneb caught up with me and Shuichi. " **Kurokuu, are you okay?"** Deneb asked.

"I'm fine. Thanks for the save." I said to Deneb. I turned to Shuichi and asked, "That scream. Did an imagin get her?"

"Yeah, we followed him here. It looks like the contractor wants her from some reason." Shuichi informed.

We kept on running along the wall until we reached the east side of the mansion. We looked around for the imagin until we spotted Mai, Weiss, and Blake running towards our direction. "There he is!" I hear Blake shouting.

"Kurokuu!" Mai shouted as they slowed down to a halt. "You're not possessed. And Shuichi, you're here too. Where's Sieg?"

"I think that's the least of our worries. We got an imagin attack." Shuichi said as he pointed at the imagin escaping with the woman in his arms.

I walked up to Weiss and handed her the baby. "Weiss, would you mind watching the baby?" Weiss nodded yes as she took the baby out of my hands. I wrapped the Den-O belt around my waist as Shuichi pulled out a card from his card holder. "Momotaros, let's go." I pressed the red button as it played its electronic tune. Shuichi sliding the switch on top of his belt as the sound of flutes filled the air.

The sound of flutes overlapped with the electronic tune as we both said, "Henshin!"

 **SWORD FORM**

 **ALTAIR FORM**

Our armors materialize as the armor pieces and faceplates attach with their respected suits. Momotaros and Shuichi whistled as the Den-Bird and Machine Zero-Horn appeared. They quickly hopped on and began chasing after the imagin.

Momotaros and Shuichi chased after the imagin until they arrived in the forest. I got a better look at the imagin as he has a scorpion motif. Momotaros and Shuichi got off as Momotaros said while doing his signature pose **, "Ore sanjou!"**

"Let me say this from the start, I'm fairly strong." Shuichi said as he formed his sword.

The scorpion imagin drops the woman on the ground and pulls out his axe. " **Well, if it isn't the Den-O and Zeronos. What a drag. You're making my job harder than it should be."** The scorpion imagin said as he waved the axe around.

" **You appeared at the right time. Thanks to you, I can finally relieve some stress."** Momotaros said as he formed his sword.

" **Well, I feel awful too."** The scorpion imagin said as he charged straight into battle. He went in for a horizontal strike, but Momotaros and Shuichi managed to duck just in time. As they rolled forward, they slashed the imagin's stomach before getting back up and slashing him from behind. The scorpion imagin growled as he attacked Momotaros. Momotaros managed to parry the axe before getting in a few hits. The scorpion imagin went in for a diagonal strike, but Momotaros managed to block the attack with his sword. Their weapons grinded against each other until Shuichi came in and slashed the scorpion imagin from behind, allowing Momotaros to kick him back.

Shuichi quickly changes his sword into a crossbow and fired at the imagin. The scropion imagin cried in pain as he took every single hit. He fell on his knees as he said angrily **, "Why you… you two are so bothersome!"**

Then, the scorpion imagin fired off explosive needles at Shuichi, but Momotaros got in the way and time and deflected all of the attacks. But the explosion caused some trees to fall over, and it was about to crush the woman. I panicked a little as I shouted, 'Momotaros, the woman!' Momotaros gasped as he ran in and shielded the woman from the falling trees.

"KUROKUU!" I hear Shuichi shouting before the sounds of blades clashing into each other came after.

'Momotaros, is the woman okay?' I asked.

" **I don't know... but these trees are heavy!"** Momotaros said in between his grunts.

' **Oi, Momoji! Let me take over!'** Kintaros said.

" **Alright, fine."** Momotaros said as he left my body, only for Kintaros to take over.

 **AXE FORM**

Kintaros managed to stand up and push all the trees off of him as the red armor has been rearranged to reveal the yellow armor. As it attached with the suit, the Axe Form faceplate appeared and connected with the helmet. Kintaros cracked his neck as he began pushing all the trees away from the woman. " **Alright!"** Kintaros cheered before making sure the woman is safe.

I hear Shuichi and the scorpion imagin still fighting as Shuichi blocks the imagin's axe. As they struggled, Shuichi said, "Kurokuu! Get the civilian out of here! Get her to safety!" Kintaros nodded as he picked up the woman and threw her over his shoulder. And then, Kintaros proceeded to run away from the fight to bring the woman to a safe area.

We eventually made it back to the woman's mansion as Kintaros laid her down against the wall. Kintaros sighed loudly and said **, "Well, the woman is safe now."**

'Yeah. Thanks for the help by the way.' I thanked Kintaros.

" **No worries at all. I'm here to help."** Kintaros said before disconnecting the belt, causing the armor to dematerialize.

I took a deep breath before crouching down to the woman. I shook her a little bit as I said, "Ma'am! Are you okay? Please say something!" I checked the pulse on her neck to make sure that she's alive. Luckily, she's still alive, but she has sustained some minor wounds on her body. I looked around for a bit until I see Weiss, Blake, Deneb, and Mai running towards me.

"Kurokuu! Are you okay?" Weiss asked worryingly.

"I'm fine. The woman seems to be unconscious." I told everyone.

Deneb looked around before asking **, "Where's Shuichi?"**

"He's in the forest, fighting off the scorpion imagin by himself. You guys gotta hurry there and help him." I said.

"What about you?" Mai asked.

"I'll get the woman to the hospital and also give them the baby." I told everyone. "Now, hurry and get going!" They all nodded as Mai, Deneb, and Blake left to help Shuichi.

Weiss handed me the baby as she said, "Be careful, okay?"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." I said as I took the baby. Weiss nodded before running after Mai, Blake, and Deneb. I took another deep breath before reaching in my pockets for my scroll to try to call for help. But when I pulled the scroll out, I realized that the battery has died. Crap, what do I do? How am I supposed to carry both of them? I looked around until I saw a random shopping cart in an alleyway with enough space to carry the both of them. Alright, I got a plan. Get the cart, put them in, and wheel them to the hospital.

I held on tightly to the baby as I quickly ran towards the alleyway and grabbed the cart. I carefully place the baby in the child seat and began bringing the cart back to the woman. I carefully picked her up and set her inside the cart. Alright, so far so good. Now, I just need to bring them to the hospital. I should get there quickly before anyone gets suspicious. I placed my hands on the handlebar and began pushing them.

As I kept pushing the cart, I could feel the people's eyes staring at me. Calm down, Kurokuu. Just a bit longer and they'll be safe. Then, the worst thing happened as the baby started crying. I panicked as more people started staring at me. "Hey, little guy. Shhh. Shhh. Go to sleep. There's nothing to worry about. Mommy's gonna be okay." I cooed, trying to sooth the baby.

The baby slowly started to calm down until the sounds of sirens scared him. My heart started racing as I look back and see two police cars driving down the street. I quickly placed the baby back in the child seat as the two police car parked in front of me. Four officers came out of their vehicles with their guns pointed at me. "Young man, I need you to put your hands in the air and step away from the cart!" One of the cops said.

"If you attempt to flee, we'll be authorized to shoot to disable or kill if necessary." Another one said. I shook in fear as I felt the gravity of the situation. Damn, what do I do now? If I get arrested, I'll probably go to jail since I'm the only suspect. And there's no point in running because they'll just chase after me. I guess this is the only thing I could do. I immediately complied as I put my hands up and stepped away from the cart. "Joe, Burnie, apprehend him."

The two other cops pinned me to the ground as they placed my hands behind my back and locked the cuffs around my wrists. They picked me up and shoved me in the car. The two cops, now named Burnie and Joe, entered the driver and passenger seat as they began driving me to the Vale Police Station. I quickly turned around to makes sure that the baby and mother were okay, and sure enough, they were being taken care of by the two cops. I sighed and muttered to myself, "Well, at least they're safe."

* * *

 _Shuichi is seen fighting off the scorpion imagin. He dodges the imagin's explosive needles before firing his crossbow, knocking the scorpion imagin back. The scorpion imagin growls as he stood back up and said_ _ **, "Stop getting in my way!"**_

 _Shuichi changes his crossbow back into a sword and ran straight in. The scorpion imagin couldn't defend himself in time as Shuichi slashed him relentlessly before kicking him back. "Sorry, you're not finishing the contract." Shuichi said as he twirled the sword around._

" _ **Gotta... flee."**_ _The scorpion imagin muttered before firing the explosive needles at Shuichi. He immediately dodges it and was ready to retaliate, but the imagin managed to escape._

" _Damn it." Shuichi cursed as he pulled the card out of the belt, causing it to disintegrate. Once he disconnected the belt, the armor dematerialized. Shuichi groaned before turning around and seeing Mai, Deneb, Blake, and Weiss running towards him._

 _Deneb charges towards Shuichi and gave him a big bear hug as he asked worryingly_ _ **, "Shuichi, are you alright?!"**_

" _I'm fine!" Shuichi said as he pushed Deneb off of him. "But the scorpion imagin managed to escape."_

" _Then, shouldn't we go after him?" Blake asked._

" _From what I can tell, the contractor of that imagin seems to want that woman. All we need to do is protect her from him. She should be safe with Kurokuu."_

" _Oh, Kurokuu told us to help you while he gets Mrs. Tsubasa and Shouji to the hospital." Weiss mentioned. "He should be there by now."_

" _The woman and the baby?"_

" _Yeah. We can meet up with her and Kurokuu at the hospital."_

" _Alright then, we should get going before something happens." Mai said. Everyone agreed as they all left the forest and made their way to the hospital. During their walk there, the sounds of sirens wailing caught their attentions._

 _They looked around for the source of the sirens until they see two police cars with four police officer surrounding someone. Mai, Shuichi, Deneb, Blake, and Weiss watch the scene play out as the two cops handcuffed the person. They picked the person off the ground, revealing to be Kurokuu. Weiss' eyes widen as she shouted, "Kurokuu!" She was ready to jump in and help him, but Mai, Blake, and Shuichi stopped her._

" _Weiss, wait. That's a bad idea." Mai said._

" _And you're just gonna let them arrest Kurokuu?" Weiss shouted._

 _Blake sighed as she reasoned with Weiss. "Weiss, there's nothing we can do. If we just jump in, we'll just end up being arrested with him."_

" _We could try bailing him out!" Weiss suggested._

 _Shuichi groaned and said, "That's a 5000 lien bail, Weiss. I don't think us or even you have that much money in order to get him out. And, I don't think you father will be happy if you used up all your bank account money." Weiss frowned at this. Then, two vehicles passed them as one was the cop car that Kurokuu was in, and the other was a limo that was driving Hakucho and Shouji home. Shuichi stared at the limo as he said, "I'll follow the contractor's target to make sure the imagin doesn't get her hands on her. Deneb, let's go."_

" _ **Hai!"**_ _Deneb said as he and Shuichi followed the limo._

 _Mai sighed as she said, "Come on, we need to get back to the Den-Liner." Mai then opened a shop door to enter the Sands of Time._

 _As Mai and Blake were about to enter inside, Blake saw the worried expression on Weiss' face. Blake walked over to Weiss and said, "Don't worry, Weiss. We'll find a way to get him out." Weiss nodded as they both entered the Sands of Time._

* * *

I sat quietly in the chair as I wait for someone to come in. The room was very small with the only source of light was the sun shining through the window. The room had a few furnitures consisting of a metal table and three chairs.

Man, I can't believe I got arrested. Why does things like this happen to me? Getting held hostage, causing a highway disaster, and now this. The sound of the door opening snapped me out of my thoughts as I look up and see two cops enter the room. One has blond hair, green eyes, and a pale complexion. He's wearing a dress shirt, yellow tie, black dress pants, and black shoes. The other was much older than the blond-haired officer. He has gray hair, red eyes, and a pale complexion. He's dressed the same like his partner, but has a red tie except yellow.

The two officers sat down as the blond-haired officer said, "Hello, I'm Officer Washington and this is Officer Sarge." He glared at me for a bit, causing me to feel a little tense. "So, I see your underage and a huntsman in training. Is that true?"

I gulped loudly and replied, "Uh…yes officer. I'm seventeen years old, about to turn eighteen soon. And I'm a huntsman training at Beacon Academy."

"Very good. Only the best huntsmen and huntresses are accepted to that school." The blond officer, now named Washington, said. He looked directly into my eyes as he said, "Look, I can tell you're a good kid and I want to help you. So, I want you to answer these question-"

"ALRIGHT, DIRTBAG! YOU BETTER TELL US IF YOU KIDNAPPED THAT BABY AND MOTHER RIGHT NOW, OR YOU'LL GET FILLED WITH LEAD!" The old cop, now named Sarge, threatened as he pulled out a shotgun out of nowhere and pointed it at my face. I screamed loudly as I jumped out of my seat and backed up into the wall, scared for my life.

"Sarge, you idiot! This is supposed to be a good cop, bad cop! And where did you get the shotgun?!" Officer Washington shouted.

"Psshhh! Good cop, bad cop? There's only one type of cop, and that's me!" He cocked shotgun as he said, "Now, answer me question!"

"NO! I DIDN'T KIDNAP THE BABY OR THE MOTHER! I SWEAR!" I shouted out in fear.

"Liar! You better tell me before I pull this trigger!" Officer Sarge shouted.

Oh, man! Is this how I'm gonna die? Getting my head blown off?! ' **Leave that to me.'** I hear Momotaros say. I was about to ask him what he was about to do until he jumped into my body. Momotaros slammed his fist against the table as he said **, "If I say I didn't, then I didn't!"** The two cops stared at Momotaros confusingly because of my change in behavior. " **And you better get the shotgun away from my face or I'll kick your ass!"**

"Is this insubordination?!" Officer Sarge shouted as he was about to pull the trigger. I screamed loudly until Officer Washington pushed the barrel away, shooting the wall instead of me.

"Sarge, are you crazy?! You can't kill the suspect!" Officer Washington shouted as he yanked the shotgun out of Officer Sarge's hands.

Officer Sarge groaned and said, "You're ruining my plan! I'm using a scare tactic to get him to answer! I used it back in the Great War when questioning those damn Atlas soldiers!"

"You can't uses those interrogation tactics on civilians, Sarge!"

As they bicker back and forth with each other, I look down and see Urataros and Kintaros under the table. Urataros sighed as he said **, "Senpai, let me handle it."** Then, Urataros jumped into my body, kicking Momotaros out. " **Officers, please just settle down."** The Officers reluctantly agreed as they sat back down. " **I understand how confused you all are. Please, let the sea wash away all of your misunderstandings."**

"Sea?" Officer Washington said confusingly.

" **Yes. I speak the truth when I say that I came across the baby by accident."** They listened carefully as Urataros told them his "story." He walked over to the window and looked outside as he said **, "It was a beautiful morning day at Beacon Academy. As a student, I went through all of my classes until it was over. My peers and I decided that we would go and have fun in Vale for a bit. And as I was minding my own business, I heard a faint crying coming from an alleyway. Curious, I walked over to see what the source of the crying was. And it turned out that it was a baby. My peers saw what happened and we all decided to spend the day trying to bring the baby back home. After we got some information, we found out about the baby's identity and home. Once we arrived to the location, we were ready to give the baby to the guards at the gate until we heard a woman screaming. Out of fear, we fled from the establishment. We were at the east side of the mansion until we saw the unconscious woman. She was already hurt when we saw her, so I told my peers to get back to Beacon while I bring her and the baby to the hospital. I found a cart in an alleyway and used it as a means of transportation. And that was when the cops arrived and arrested me as a suspect. That is all."**

Officer Washington and Officer Sarge rubbed their faces stressfully as Officer Washington said, "Okay. Just give us a few minutes and we'll get back to you." They both got up from their chair as they stumbled out of the room.

Urataros smiled as he said **, "You're welcome by the way."**

'Thanks, Urataros. You really saved me from getting my head blown off.' I said in relief as I laid down in the blue void. I guess all I need to do now is just wait.

* * *

 _Meanwhile in an alleyway, the scorpion imagin is seen relaxing as his contractor was scolding him. "You said you get the mother and you come back empty-handed?!" The man said as he kicked a trash bag._

 _The scorpion imagin shot a needle at a random glass bottle as he said_ _ **, "It got tiresome."**_

" _That place is overflowed with money and it doesn't have such high level of security like the SDC." He sat on a crate as he muttered, "My life... down the drains. All because I got fired."_

 _The scorpion imagin got annoyed by his contractor's constant whining as he grabbed him by his shirt and said_ _ **, "Hey, I said I'll get it done, so shut up!"**_ _Then, the scorpion imagin tossed him into the trash pile before getting back up. He rolls his neck around before jumping up to the building rooftops. He looks around for a bit until he spots the mansion. The scoprtion imagin stretches for a bit before making his way to the Tsubasa residence._

* * *

 _Back on the Den-Liner, Ruby, Yang, Zwei, and Ryutaros are all minding their own business until Mai, Weiss, and Blake returned. Ruby looked back and said, "Hey, guys! How'd it g-"_

" _Not now, Ruby." Weiss said coldly as she walked passed everyone. She entered Sieg's car and sees him relaxing without a care in the world. Weiss growled as she walked up to him and shouted, "Sieg!"_

 _He looked over to Weiss and said_ _ **, "Oh, my beautiful princess. My snow angel. Is there something you need?"**_

" _Yeah, I need you to get Kurokuu out of trouble."_

" _ **And why should I do that? A peasant's job is to serve his master, that's his happiness."**_

 _Weiss clenched her hands into a fist before opening her hand back up and slapping Sieg hard across the face. He touched his cheek as Weiss said, "Happiness? You think that he's happy being stuck in jail for what you did?! People aren't slaves that you can have at your beck and call! If you really want people to help you later in the future, then treat them with respect!"_

 _Sieg looked down and nodded his head._ " _ **That is true. You words ring with veracity. I was... incorrect."**_

" _Oh, really?" Weiss asked skeptically._

" _ **Yeah. When I see these low class people, instead of treating them like slaves, I'll give them my utmost kindness and respect. Maybe then, they could return that same respect to me."**_ _Sieg said as he faces Weiss again._ " _ **Up till now, no one has ever admonish me before. From my heart, I'm very overjoyed, my princess."**_ _Sieg then gets down one knee and grabs her hand._ " _ **I'm so glad that I chose you as my princess."**_ _He stood back up and said while going in for a hug_ _ **, "The world definitely exists for me!"**_

 _But, Weiss quickly kicked Sieg in the stomach, knocking him down to the ground. "Hands off!" Weiss shouted before exiting the room._

 _Sieg got up as he rubbed his stomach in pain. He limped back to his chair and sat back down. Sieg took a deep breath and closed his eyes before turning translucent._

* * *

 _Meanwhile at the Tsubasa residence,_ _Hakucho is seen sleeping next to Shouji, smiling as she finally has her child back in her arms. But then, Sieg entered the room and jumped inside Shouji. Shouji's eyes changed from brown to white as Sieg looked at Hakucho and muttered softly_ _ **, "The one who saved us... is Kurokuu Akarui. The one who saved us is Kurokuu Akarui."**_

 _Hakucho slowly opened her eyes before slowly getting up and looking around the room. "Strange, who was that?" Hakucho said before looking at Shouji. She smiled at him until she remembered something. That boy. The boy who saved her from that monster. Hakucho grabbed the scroll from her counter and began making a call._

* * *

"Wait, I'm good to go?" I asked.

Officer Washington sighed and said, "Yep, you're cleared. The victim said that you saved her and the baby. And you're claim seems to make sense."

I sighed in relief as I shook his hand and said, "Thank you so much!"

"Well, don't thank me. Thank Mrs. Tsubasa for getting you out." He stopped shaking my hand as he said, "You may grab your belongings at the front desk when you leave."

"Alright, thank you and I'm sorry for all the trouble." I apologized before leaving the room. I walked down the hall until I reached the front desk. I asked the cop at the desk, "Um, may I have my belongings back?"

The cop turned to me and said, "Sure, what's your name?"

"Kurokuu Akarui." I answered. He immediately pulled out an evidence bag, which held my scroll and the stopwatch, and handed it to me. "Thank you." I said as I grabbed the bag and left. I stepped outside and pulled out the stopwatch first. I stared at it for a bit before looking at the words on the back. I sighed softly before shoving the stopwatch back into my pocket before pulling out my scroll. I clicked on it and saw that the battery was at thirty-four percent, meaning that the police decided to search through my phone. I sighed as I decided to make a call to Weiss. I tapped on her contact and waited for her to pick up.

The call quickly connected as I hear Weiss saying, "Kurokuu, are you okay? Are you still at the police station?"

"Yeah, they decided to let me go because the mother of the baby said to them that I was innocent." I told Weiss.

I heard Weiss sighing with relief as she said, "Thank goodness."

"I'm sorry if I worried you. Right now, I'll get back to the Den-Liner." I told Weiss before a limo pulled up.

The door opened as a limo driver came out and said, "Hello, Mr. Akarui. Mrs. Tsubasa would like to see you."

I nodded slowly before saying to Weiss, "Weiss, scratch that. I don't think I can come on the Den-Liner at the moment. I think the baby's mother would like to see me."

Weiss sighed and said, "Okay, but be on the lookout. The scorpion imagin's contract is to kidnap Mrs. Tsubasa. Make sure that the scorpion imagin doesn't get his hands on her. Shuichi should be there watching over her."

"Got it. I'll see you later, Weiss." I said before ending the call. I slowly entered the limo as the limo driver closes the door for me and sits in the driver seat. I felt the car rumble as the limo driver started taking me to their destination.

After a few minutes of driving, I finally arrived at the Tsubasa residence as the gate opens, allowing the limo to enter inside. The limo stopped as the driver exits the vehicle to open the door for me. I step out and saw the grand mansion up close. Then, a maid walked out as she said, "Please follow me." I nodded as I followed to maid inside the house. We walked down the long, hallway as the sounds of our shoes echoed throughout. Then, we stopped at a door as the maid opened it up, revealing a dining room with Mrs. Tsubasa and the baby waiting for me. She gestured me to go inside as I did so.

The maid closes the door behind me, leaving me alone in the dining room with them. Mrs. Tsubasa fed the baby formula as she said, "Mr. Akarui, I know I caused you a lot of trouble. And I just want to apologize for it."

I was slightly taken back by her sincerity as I said, "Oh, no! It's all good in the end. You don't have to apologize."

But suddenly, I felt Sieg possessing my body. I was stuck in the white void once more as Sieg walked over to Mrs. Tsubasa and the baby. " **My mother. My brother. I'm so happy to see you again."**

Mrs. Tsubasa smiled until two servers entered the room. One was holding two entrees while the other cared a bottle of wine and wine glasses. "Oh, it looks like the meal is ready. Please, come sit and enjoy." Mrs. Tsubasa said as she pulled out a chair for Sieg to sit in. She sat across from Sieg as the server set down the entrees, which is a fillet steak with creamy mash potatoes, gravy, and a side of green beans. The other server set down the wine glasses on the table before opening the bottle. The server carefully pours the wine in the glasses before walking away with his co-worker.

Sieg grabs the knife and fork and began slicing into the steak. He stabs the steak with a fork and slowly lifts it up to his mouth. Sieg then puts the steak in his mouth and slowly started chewing it, savoring all the meaty flavors and spices inside. " **This meal is exquisite."** Sieg said. " **Much better than the low class meals."**

Sieg happily continues eating as Mrs. Tsubasa said, "The father is also very grateful. Shouji owes his life to you. If you'd like, would you like to stay for a bit?"

Sieg picks up the glass of wine and began swirling it around. " **I would be delighted."** Sieg said before taking a sip of wine.

* * *

 _Weiss entered back in the room with a smile on her face. Everyone looked at her as Ruby asked, "So, is Kurokuu okay?"_

 _Weiss nodded yes and said, "Yeah, he's cleared." Everyone in the dining car sighed of relief. "At this moment, he's at the Tsubasa residence."_

" _That's good to hear." Blake said. But, she quickly noticed the absence of the feathery imagin. "Uh, guys. Where's Sieg?"_

 _Everyone got up and looked around the dining car before Mai suggested, "Maybe he's in the other car." They all got up and walked over to the Sieg's car, only to find out that he isn't there._

 _Momotaros growled and said_ _ **, "Are you kidding me?! That chicken wing bastard possessed Kurokuu again!"**_

" _If I see that feathery bastard again, I'll shrink him!" Yang threatened as she clenched her hand in a fist._

 _Ruby stopped Yang and said, "You tried that last time and looked how that worked out."_

 _Yang clenched her fist tighter and tighter until she sighed and gave up._ " _ **Hey, does this mean that we can't use Kurokuu's body anymore?"**_ _Ryutaros asked._

" _ **How the hell should I know?"**_ _Momotaros asked._

" _ **I don't like it one bit."**_ _Ryutaros said as he sat on a crate._

" _That's probably not the case." Everyone turned around and saw The Owner standing at the entrance._

" _How come?" Yang asked._

" _The contract holder is too young. The foundation of an imagin is memory. Form and shape, contract, lying to the past, it all depends on the person's memory."_

 _Blake seemed to catch on to what The Owner is saying as she said, "And since baby's memories are rewritten everyday…"_

" _Then, Sieg's existence will probably disappear within the baby, rendering the same effect as if a contract holder died."_

 _Silence filled the air as everyone stood still, thinking about Sieg's fate. But then, Momotaros sniffed the air and shouted_ _ **, "The imagin is back!"**_

 _Everyone looked at Momotaros as Mai said, "Come on, we need to go stop him." Team RWBY agreed and followed Mai. They entered the dining car and grabbed all their weapons before making their way towards the exit._

 _As they were about to get off, Zwei walked up to Ruby and barked at her, telling her that he wants to go with them. Ruby smiled as she crouched down and pet her dog. "Sorry, Zwei. You can't come with me for this one." Zwei hung his head low, causing Ruby to feel bad. "Don't worry, boy! When I get back, I'll give you a treat later. Sounds good?" The corgi perked his head up and started wagging his tail._

 _The door opened as Mai and Team RWBY hopped off. Sand blew all around them as they walked towards a door. Mai grabbed the doorknob and asked, "Everyone ready?" Team RWBY nodded, giving Mai the signal to open the door._

* * *

"Enjoy your time here." The maid said before closing the door.

Sieg looked around the room as he said **, "My mother, my brother, and…"** Sieg laid on the bed and said **, "My castle. This is truly my place."**

As Sieg was relaxing, I thought it would be a perfect time for me to talk to him. 'Sieg, you know I can't stay here forever. I have a life of my own.'

" **Well, this is your new life! People that take care of you needs and you have a family. Isn't this the life you dream of?"** Sieg asked as he puts his hands behind his head.

I sighed and said, 'Of course, I always wanted a life where I have a family, but this isn't the right family for me. Kasumi, Nakamura-san, my mother, my father, and... all my friends. They are my family.'

Sieg didn't like the sound of that as he sat up and asked **, "Then, what'll happen to my family?"**

I scratched my head nervously as I suggested, 'Well, maybe you can stay within the baby. That way, you can still be close to everyone you care about.'

Sieg smiled and said **, 'That doesn't sound the bad, peasant. No, not peasant, my friend."** I smiled as well at the compromise we made until I hear him cringe in pain.

I looked at his hands and noticed that there was sand coming off of him. Then, more sand started to come off as I asked, 'Sieg, are you okay?'

Sieg looked at his hand in horror as he said **, "I'm... disappearing…"**

I immediately felt sympathetic for Sieg as I asked worryingly, 'Why? Why is it happening?'

Sieg said nothing as he stumbled out of the room. He walked down the hall and went up the flight of stairs. Sieg looked into each room until he found the room that the baby is in. More sand started coming off of him as he stumbles towards the baby's crib. Sieg looked at the baby lovingly as he reached his hands out and said **, "My... brother…"** The baby also started reaching his hand out to Sieg, but the sound of someone's screaming stopped him.

I realized who that scream belonged to as I said to Sieg, 'Mrs. Tsubasa, she's in trouble!' Sieg quickly reacted and ran out of the room to save Mrs. Tsubasa. He stumbled down the stairs before picking himself back up and headed towards the exit. I looked around and saw the scorpion imagin knocking Mrs. Tsubasa out cold.

"Stop!" Sieg turned around and saw Shuichi and Deneb arriving on the scene. Shuichi stopped and said, "Kurokuu?"

Sieg wasted no more time as he charged in and grabbed the imagin's wrist. The scorpion imagin glared at Sieg and said **, "You again?!"** Sieg glared back at the imagin before tossing him into a tree. He growled as he slowly got up and shouted **, "Stop getting in my way!"** The scorpion imagin then fired an explosive needle st Sieg, but a spinning object came out of nowhere and deflect the needles.

Then, the spinning object wrapped around Sieg's waist as it was revealed to be some variation of the Den-O belt. The belt looks drastically different as the belt strap is completely black, there was only one silver button on the belt, and the Den-O logo is decorated to look like a swan's wings. Sieg clicked on the silver button as the sound of harps playing filled the air. Sieg stumbled forward, but quickly recovers as he pulls out the pass and said **, "Henshin…"** He swipes the pass over the belt as it called out.

 **WING FORM**

The armor materializes and the suit itself looks very similar to the Plat Form armor, but the key difference is that the undersuit was gold instead of black. Then, white armor pieces appeared and combined with the under suit. The white armor looks very similar to the Sword Form's armor, but the shoulder plates have a wing design on it. And finally, the faceplate, which has a swan motif, appeared and attaches with the helmet, completing the transformation.

I looked around me and saw the shocked expression on Shuichi's and Deneb's faces. Then, Mai and Team RWBY arrived on the scene as they all have the same shocked expression as well. "No way, is that…?"

"I think so, Sis." Yang replied.

Sieg pointed up to the sky as he said **, "Advent. To the top."** He then charged straight at the scorpion imagin while assembling the pieces of the Den-Gasher. Sieg formed the Den-Gasher into a boomerang and handaxe as he slashes the imagin across the stomach.

Sieg faced away from the scorpion imagin as he stumbled back in pain. The scopion growled as he shouts **, "You…!"** He then fired more explosive needles at Sieg. However, Sieg didn't even flinch as he threw the boomerang. The boomerang swirled behind Sieg and deflected all of the needles back at the scorpion imagin.

The scorpion imagin roared in pain as the needles made contact with him. The boomerang returned back to Sieg as he turned around to face the imagin. But as soon as he took the first step, Sieg stumbled to the ground.

'Sieg, hold on!' I shouted as I tried to regain control.

I see the scorpion imagin charging straight at us with his axe, but he was then bombarded by bullets and arrows as Team RWBY and Team MS(K)D were pushing him back. This gave Sieg enough time to get up as he pulled out he pass and placed it in front of the belt.

 **FULL CHARGE**

The belt emitted lasers as it enters the boomerang and handaxe. The handaxe glowed gold while the boomerang glowed white as Sieg threw both of the weapons at the scorpion imagin, effectively slicing his chest.

The scorpion imagin gave one last cry before exploding. Sieg's weapons returned him as he turned around and faced everyone. He gave everyone a bow before falling to his knees.

"Sieg!" I hear Weiss shout as she and the rest of Team RWBY and MSKD huddled around Sieg. He felt his presence getting weaker as Sieg was forced to leave my body, causing the armor to dematerialize.

Sieg laid in the grass as I joined in with the rest. He sighed softly and said **, "So… this… is my fate?"**

Weiss shook her head and said, "Sieg, I'm sorry."

" **My princess, what for?"** Sieg asked as he wiped a tear out of her eye.

"This. All of this. And we can't do anything." Weiss clenched her hand into a fist. "You don't deserve to die like this."

I couldn't stand watching him slowly fade out. The thought of losing a friend… it's unbearable. But then, I remembered something. Sieg, he said that he wasn't sure if he did a contract with the mother. I looked at Mrs. Tsubasa and pulled out the ticket. Please, let this work. I can't lose anyone. I stood back up and ran to Mrs. Tsubasa

"Kurokuu, what're you doing?" Shuichi asked.

"Creating a miracle." I answered as I placed the ticket over her head. I waited for the ticket to load until it finally happened. The ticket had a picture of Sieg with the date 7/12/2007. It's a miracle! Sieg still has a chance!

I started cheering loudly, causing Team RWBY and MSKD to look at me weirdly. "Kurokuu, what happened?" Ruby asked.

I quickly ran back to Sieg and showed him the ticket. He gasped loudly as I said, "Sieg, when you possessed the mother, you did make a contract with her. Don't you remember?"

Sieg stared at the ticket until he said **, "I remember now. My contract… was to make sure that the baby will be born safely."**

"And do you know what that means?"

Mai answered for me as she said, "If he flies to the past, his connection with the contractor is over!"

All of Team RWBY and MSKD were ecstatic by the news as they began cheering, except Blake and Shuichi. I carried Sieg over my shoulder and said, "Sieg, I made a promise to myself that I would protect the people I call family. And Sieg, you're not dying on me today."

Then, the portal opened in the sky as the Den-Liner came out through it. We all boarded on the train as I quickly rushed to the Den-Bird and set the coordinates to the past.

* * *

 _July 12, 2007_

The Den-Liner made a stop at a church as we see Mrs. Tsubasa's wedding day. She rung the bell with her husband as the air was filled with flower petals and cheering.

We all decided to see Sieg out as he began boarding off the Den-Liner. Once Sieg faced us, I smiled and said, "Sieg, take care, okay?"

" **Of course! As I thought, the world really does revolve around me."** Sieg said.

Yang and Momotaros groaned as Yang said, "A 'thank you' would've been nice."

Sieg ignored them as he walked up to me and Weiss. He looked at me first and said **, "Kurokuu, I would like to give you my gratitude for helping me reunite my brother and mother, as well as saving me."**

"It's nothing, Sieg. That's what friends are for, right?" I said.

Sieg nodded and said **, "Yes, friends."** He then looked at Weiss and said **, "My princess, it pains me to part with you. But, it can't be helped. I also give you my gratitude for everything you done for me."**

Weiss smiled as well and said, "It's nothing. But you better not go back to your old ways!"

He walked away from us and said without making eye contact **, "I won't, my princess."** Then, he turned into a yellow orb and flew off.

We all waved goodbye except Yang and Momotaros, who were yelling at him. " **You bird bastard! You better not come back!"**

"If I see your feathery butt here again, I'll pluck your feathers out!" Yang threatened.

Once Sieg was out of sight, Team RWBY, MSKD, and the Taros all decided to go back into the dining car. Weiss was the last one to leave as she turned to me and asked, "Hey, Kurokuu. Are you coming?"

"I'll join you in a bit." I replied. She nodded before heading into the dining car, leaving my alone with my thoughts. I watched as Mrs. Tsubasa throw the bouquet of flowers in the air.

I sighed softly as I remembered the planned wedding for Kasumi. That was supposed to be her happiest day and now, it'll never happen. I pulled the stopwatch out again and stared at it once more. Nakamura-san, I'll definitely find you one day.

* * *

(A/N:) And there you have it, the appearance of Sieg! While there isn't much I want to talk about this chapter since I followed the story from the canon, I decided to make a few changes, such as extending the fight with Sieg and the scorpion imagin and the interrogation scene. The reason why I had Sieg do the entire fight was because of how short his fight was in the series. I mean, Sieg only did one attack! And I understand that Toei wanted to keep Sieg's fight short so that they could show more in the movie, but even that, Sieg in the movie gets his ass kicked by Gaoh. So I thought extending the fight would allow me to be more creative with the fight. And now, the interrogation scene with Sarge and Washington. If you noticed by now, I would sprinkle a few references here and there sometimes. So this time, I had Sarge and Washington make an appearance by doing the interrogation. And since Sarge and Washington are both complete opposite of each other, their interaction with one another would be funny.

As always, leave a review on what you thought about this chapter and I'll see you in the next chapter. Bye!


	19. Chapter 19: I'm Born Part 1

(A/N:) Hey everyone! Welcome back to the two part finale of Volume 2 of Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time. Sorry, I hadn't uploaded in a while. I had some issues when writing this but I managed to get through this. But before we start, I want to say something. We did it. We finally did it. We got Doom Marine 54 to say that he liked this story! I know I said I wouldn't talk about him/her, but it's just... I just had to point it out. I remember it like it was just yesterday. He/she was just saying his/her normal things until I saw it. That he/ she had something positive to say about it before rambling on again. I will always keep this trophy up in my room, to signify that this was Doom Marine 54 approved. (If you didn't know by now, I'm just joking.) Anyways, leave a review on what you thought about this chapter and I hope you all enjoy!

 **feilpexza:** No, that whole Shinnosuke and Kiriko thing was just an reference I wanted to put in like the Agent Washington and Sarge thing. It's not cannon, except for their marriages, and Kamen Rider Drive or any other riders will not be making any appearances in the story.

 **Ultimate Kuuga:** I hope so too. I'll mainly be focusing on their relationship over time. So, don't worry.

I do not I own the rights to the series RWBY or Kamen Rider. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth Productions and The Kamen Rider Series is owned by Toei Company

"Normal Speech"

'Thoughts/Inner communication between OC and imagin'

 _"Third Person/Flashback"_

 **"Imagin speech"**

* * *

 _It was a calm, beautiful night in the city of Vale. But as many know, once the midnight hour arrives, the monsters come crawling out of hiding._

 _On the rooftops, Gaoh is seen standing in front of Cinder while eating a steam bun. "So, do you have what I need?" Gaoh asked._

 _Cinder nodded her head as she walked up to him and showed Gaoh the ticket. As she passes the ticket to Gaoh, Cinder warned him, "You better not fail them, Gaoh. They weren't pleased by what happened a few days ago and so am I."_

 _Gaoh smirked and took the ticket out of her hands. "Tell them not to worry. I had it all planned out since Torchwick got himself caught."_

" _Yes, but if you were to get more White Fang soldiers killed, Adam will not be please by this." Cinder said._

" _It's fine. Besides, you need to sacrifice lower beings in order to achieve power. Isn't that right, Miss. Fall?" Gaoh said as he stared at the ticket. "Den-O, your time has just ran out." He took a bite of his steam bun before crushing what's left of it in his hands._

* * *

 **Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time**

 **Chapter 19: I'm Born Part 1**

* * *

Well, this is the day. Our first mission. Okay, Kurokuu. You can do this. You fought Imagins before, Grimms shouldn't be a problem. I checked myself in the mirror, making sure that my shoulder armor was secure. "You nervous?" I turned around and saw Mai packing some arrows in her quiver.

I rubbed my head nervously, "Yeah. You can say that."

Deneb was packing our meals as he said **, "There's nothing to worry about Kurokuu. Missions are relatively safe, especially for first years since they have a huntsman as a chaperone. And once we're more prepared, we're off on our own."** He finished putting in the last meal in the backpack and said **, "Besides, you can ask Shuichi. He's done this before."**

I turned to Shuichi, who was putting on his green sweater, and asked, "Hey, Shuichi. What's it like going out on a mission?"

Shuichi turned around and said, "Well, it's a bit nerve-racking at first, but we'll be just fine. Besides, the training I've been giving you should help you out there. And don't expect me to be watching your ass twenty-four seven."

"Right. Right. You won't have to. I can do it on my own." I said to myself.

Mai patted my shoulder and said, "That's the spirit! Now, come on! We should get to the assembly." We all agreed as Shuichi, Mai, and Deneb were walking out of the dorm.

I quickly picked up my backpack, pass, and stopwatch and made my way towards the door. But before I could leave, Momotaros appeared and said **, "Yo, Kurokuu! You ready?"**

I sighed and replied, "Ready as I'll ever be."

Momotaros rubbed his hands excitedly as he said **, "Finally, I can go crazy and fight those White Fang bastards!"**

I run my hand through my hair as I said, "Actually, Momotaros. I kinda want to do it…without your help."

Momotaros looked surprised as he asked **, "What do you mean?!"**

"Well, I just want to fight on my own for once. I just want to put what I learned to the test. You can understand… right?" Momotaros crossed him arms and made no eye contact with me. I sighed and said, "Look, if I see the White Fang and Gaoh, you can fight all the Imagins there. Sounds good?"

Momotaros slowly made eye contact with me and said **, "I guess. I actually want to see how much you've improved."**

I smiled and said, "Thanks, Momotaros."

" **Yeah, yeah, just get going. They're waiting."** Momotaros said before disappearing.

I took a deep breath before exiting the dorm and locking it up. Mai, Shuichi, and Deneb were waiting quietly as Mai asked, "What took you so long?"

"Momotaros." I replied. I looked down the hall and saw Team RWBY and JNPR locking up too. I waved to them and said, "Hey, everyone!"

Team RWBY and JNPR approached us as Ruby waved and said, "Good Morning, Team MSKD and JNPR! Are you guys ready for our first mission of the year?!"

"Yeah! Although, I'm a little nervous." Jaune said while nervously rubbing his head.

Pyrrha reassures him by putting her hand on his shoulder. "Jaune, we'll be fine. With your leadership skills, we can get through this."

"Thanks, Pyrrha." Jaune thanked.

Nora cracked her hands as she said, "Well, I don't know about you. But, I'm ready to crush my enemies and ride ursas!"

"Nora, please no riding ursas. I would not like to be put through that again." Ren said, causing Nora to frown. He sighed and said, "Although, I'm fine with you 'crushing' Grimms." This made Nora smile again as she bounced around Ren excitedly.

Weiss looked at me and asked, "Hey, Kurokuu. You ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." I replied.

I was ready to ask Weiss the same thing until Yang got in between us and said, "Well, enough with the lovey, dovey moment."

"Hey!" Weiss and I shouted at the same time.

"I think we should get to the assembly." Yang continued.

"Agreed." Shuichi said. "We should get going fast before we miss anything." We all agreed as we ran down the hall. After running down several flights of stairs, we exited the dorm building and ran across the yard. Up ahead, we see the amphitheater opened as all the students from Haven, Atlas, and Shade are gathering up.

We entered inside as the amphitheater was extremely packed. "Quiet! Quiet please. Professor Ozpin would like to share a few words before we begin." Professor Goodwitch said as she's trying to settle the students down.

We dropped our stuff down where all the backpacks and luggages are before standing with the Beacon crowd. Professor Ozpin is standing at the microphone and said, "Today we stand together, united. Mistral. Atlas. Vacuo. Vale. The four Kingdoms of Remnant. On this day, nearly eighty years ago, the largest war in recorded history came to an end. It was a war of ignorance, of greed, and of oppression. A war that was about much more than where borders fell or who traded with whom, but about the very idea of individualism itself. We fought for countless reasons, one of which being the destruction of all forms of art and self-expression. And as you are well aware, that was something many could not stand for. As a result, those who oppose this tyranny began naming their children after one of the core aspects of art itself: color. It was their way to demonstrate that not only would they refuse to tolerate this oppression, but neither were the generations to come. And it was a trend that is held to this very day. We encourage individuality, expressionism, and unity through diversity. As I have said, today we stand together, united. But this bond cannot exist without effort. Which is why today, while the rest of the world celebrates peace, Huntsmen and Huntresses will work to uphold it. As first year students, you will be tasked with shadowing a professional Huntsman or Huntress on a mission. Some of you may be taken out of the Kingdom for several days. Others may work within the walls for the rest of the week. But no matter which path you choose, remember to be safe, remember your training, and remember to do your very best."

Professor Ozpin stepped off stage as all the students began filing out of the amphitheater. "This is perfect! All we have to do is shadow a Huntsman working in the southeast!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Yeah! We'll follow them around by day and give them the slip by night!" Yang said.

Our team joined in on the conversation as Shuichi said, "If you're going to the southeast, we're coming with you. This is Gaoh we're talking about, and he doesn't mess around."

Ruby seemed to be fine with it as she replied, "Sure, the more the merrier! We may need all your guys' help for this."

"Sounds like we're a group now. I guess we'll have to look at missions in the southeast that require the assistance of two teams." I told everyone.

Weiss looks around and points at a hologram screen. "Let's check 'search and destroy!'"

We all followed Weiss to the hologram screen as we see various missions that are available. Ruby points at one of the missions and said, "Here we go! Quadrant Five needs Grimm cleared out! And the mission requires two teams in order to do it!"

"Well, it's in the southeast." Blake said.

"Sounds perfect!" Yang said.

Ruby selects the mission as it shows eight blank slots, indicating that we put our team name in. Ruby typed in her team name, only to get a screen that says that first years aren't allowed to take this mission. "Wonderful." Weiss said sarcastically.

" **Let me try."** Deneb said as he typed in our team name. And for some reason, we're allowed to take the mission.

Team RWBY was baffled as Yang asked, "How come you guys are able to get in?"

"That would be me." We all turned our heads around and saw Professor Ozpin walking towards us with a scroll in his arms.

"Professor Ozpin!" Ruby said with surprise.

"If I recall, your team and Kurokuu has managed to find the whereabouts of the White Fang's location?" Team RWBY and I nodded in agreement. "Well, seeing that this mission is rather important, I'll make an exception for both of your team." The Headmaster then started tapping something on his scroll as the holographic screen displayed Team RWBY's name and that they were allowed to take this mission.

Ruby and her team all smiled as she said, "We won't let you down. Thank you, professor."

"Do not thank me for this. Teamwork and persistence have carried you far. But you must understand, the things that await you beyond the protection of the Kingdom will not care. Stay close to your Huntsman at all times, and do exactly as he says. He will be leading you on this mission, and he can have you sent back to Beacon, if he finds your skills to be unsatisfactory." We all looked at each other nervously, except my team, until Professor Ozpin came back and said, "Good luck."

As Professor Ozpin left, I cleared my throat and said, "Well, since now we're together, we should probably get to our stuff and head to our bullhead." We all agreed as we picked up our bags at the front. As I put mine on, I look up and saw that Ruby's backpack was moving around. "Uh, Ruby? Why is your bag moving?"

She quickly turned around and said, "What? What're you talking about? I have nothing moving in my bag!"

"Alright, calm down. I was just asking." I said, trying to calm Ruby down. I walked over to Weiss and asked, "Hey, Weiss. Does Ruby seem a bit... jumpy?"

"No, not really. Why do you ask?" Weiss asked.

"It's probably nothing. Maybe she's just nervous about the mission." I replied. "So, I didn't ask you how you're feeling yet. So, how are you feel right now?"

"Confident. Our team has handled worse before, so I don't think a bunch of Grimm will scare us off." Weiss answered.

"I don't know. I'm more worried about Gaoh and the White Fang. I mean, he managed to hold his own against us, Sun, and Neptune. And what if he wasn't trying at that time and he's actually more powerful than he let on?"

"Like I said, we handled worse before. And now, we have Shuichi, Mai, and Deneb on our side. That should be more than enough to stop Gaoh." Weiss said. I took a deep breath as Weiss places her hand on my shoulder, causing me to tense up a little. "Kurokuu, we'll be fine. We can stop Gaoh and the White Fang together."

"Right. Together." I said with a smile. Weiss smiled back as we continued making our way to our designated bullhead.

"Hey! Team CFVY is back!" One of the Beacon students shouted.

All the Beacon students gathered around to witness the return of Team CFVY. Blake ran up to Velvet and said, "Velvet, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I just had Yatsuhashi watch over me." Velvet replied. She looked towards me and said, "Hey, Kurokuu! It's been awhile."

"Hey, Velvet. How are you? We haven't heard for you in awhile. I heard your mission was supposed to end a week ago." I asked.

"I'm fine, nothing happened. It's just... there we're just so many…" I felt a little bit of fear coming off from Velvet when she mentioned that. But, she then reassured us by saying, "Oh, but don't worry. You first-years are just shadowing a huntsman, so you should be fine. And you guys handled worse before." Velvet then looked at Shuichi and Deneb. "And who are these two?"

Shuichi walked up to her and said, "Hi, I'm Shuichi Nakamura, fourth year in Beacon. And this is my partner, Deneb."

Deneb bowed to Velvet and handed her a piece of candy. " **Hello, my name is Deneb! It's very nice to meet you. I hope you can be friends with me and Shuichi!"**

Velvet bowed back and said, "It's nice to meet you both. Well, I should get back to my team, good luck guys!" She then ran off with her team.

"Well, that wasn't very uplifting." Yang said.

Mai and Ruby faced all of us as Ruby said, "It's gonna be tough, but I know we can do it!"

"That's right, Ruby." Mai said. "We can accomplish anything as long as we're a team." We all felt motivated by our leaders' words as Yang and Deneb started cheering. "Besides, it won't only be us out there! We'll be fighting along with a genuine huntsman!"

" **Yeah!** /Yeah!" Yang and Deneb cheered.

* * *

We all stared at him with a stunned expression on our faces, except Shuichi, Mai, and Deneb, as we realize who we'll be shadowing. "Why, hello students! Who's ready to fight for their lives?" Oobleck. It just had to be Oobleck. Why him?

"Professor Oobleck?" Weiss said unsurely.

Profes- I mean Doctor Oobleck paced in front of us as he said, "Yes, I'm afraid those bags won't be necessary, students, seeing as you've opted to shadow a Huntsman on what is now essentially a reconnaissance mission. I can assure you, we will not be establishing a single base of operations; rather, we will be traversing several miles of hazardous wasteland and making camp in any defendable locations we may stumble upon. I packed all of our essentials myself, plotted our air course, and readied the airship. And... " Doctor Oobleck quickly zoomed towards Weiss and said, "It's Doctor Oobleck. I didn't earn the PhD for fun, thank you very much!"

"Uh…"

"Come now, children; according to my schedule, we are already three minutes behind!" He takes a moment to think for a bit. "Schedule!" Doctor Oobleck quickly dashed ahead of us and to the bullhead.

I sighed loudly and said, "Out of all the huntsman, we shadow... it's Doctor Oobleck. Well, at least it's not Professor Port."

I raise my hand to my face as Ruby placed her hand on my shoulder. "Kurokuu, we're gonna be fine. Imagine it! We're going to save the world with Doctor Oooobleck- okay yeah when you say it out loud it sounds worse."

"Yep." I simply replied.

"Well, let's get going before Oobleck's gonna bug us nonstop." Shuichi said as he went ahead of everyone. We quickly followed and ran towards our bullhead.

* * *

Several minutes passed as the bullhead soared over the clouds. To pass the time, we all decided to engage in a conversation with Doctor Oobleck. "Huh, I never saw you as much of a fighter." Yang said to Doctor Oobleck.

"I admit I fancy myself more of an intellectual, but I can assure you, as a Huntsman, I've had my fair share of tussles." Doctor Oobleck replied.

Ruby looked confused as she tilt her head to the side and asked, "Like the mushrooms?"

Blake leaned over. "Those are truffles."

Ruby scratched her head. "Like the sprouts?"

Yang leaned over. "Those are brussels."

Ruby was still confused as she asked, "Like the clams?"

I leaned over to her and said, "Those are mussels."

Shuichi joined in on the conversation as he said, "Guys, I've seen Professor Oobleck fight before. And let me tell you, he doesn't mess around when he's serious." Team RWBY and I raised our eyebrows at Shuichi's statement. He doesn't mess around when he's serious? Is Doctor Oobleck that good at fighting from the way he's insinuating it? Now that is something I want to see.

"Anyways," Doctor Oobleck interrupted, "given my expertise in the field of history as well as my dabblings in the archaeological surveys, our dear headmaster saw fit to assign me to this particular... assignment!

"What does history have to do with this?" Weiss asked.

Doctor Oobleck turns his head sharply towards Weiss. "Why, what a preposterous question, you silly girl! Why, history is the backbone of our very society! And the liver! Probably the kidneys, if I were to wager."

"And that means..?"

Mai sighed and answered for Doctor Oobleck. "The southeast quadrant outside of Vale is home to wild forests and deep caves, but it is also the location to one of the kingdom's greatest failures."

"Ooh! Ooh! I know!" Ruby said. "It's Mountain Glenn!"

"That's right, Ruby!" Mai praised. "It was an expansion of Vale... but in the end it was overrun by Grimm and was fenced off from the rest of the city."

"Correct! And now it stands abandoned as a dark reminder." Doctor Oobleck informed.

"And a likely place for a hideout." Blake added.

Doctor Oobleck adjusted his glasses and said, "Precisely." He looked outside as he said, "And now, we have arrived at our location!" I looked outside as well as I saw Mountain Glenn, or what's left of it. There were rows of destroyed buildings and debris that covered the ground. It was unfortunate about what happened here. But now, all it became is a dark remnant of history. A grave reminder to show just how powerful the Grimm forces are.

The bullhead hovered over a safe landing zone, allowing all of us to hop off safely. As we hopped off, we pulled out our weapons, ready for what may happen next. Doctor Oobleck took a swig of whatever was in his canister, which I'm assuming to be coffee, and said, "Ladies! Gentlemen! You still may be students, but as of this moment, your first mission as huntsmen and huntresses has begun! From this point forward, you need to do exactly as I say! Do you understand?" We all nodded as Doctor Oobleck stared at Ruby, startling her. "Ruby! I thought I told you to leave all of your bags back at school."

"But, uh, you hadn't told us to listen to you yet. So I didn't." Ruby replied.

"She's not wrong…" Doctor Oobleck said to himself. "Very well, Ruby; leave your bag here, we can pick it up upon our return."

"But I, well uh…"

"Young lady, what in the world could you possibly have in that bag that could be so important to bring it with…" Doctor Oobleck went immediately quiet as Ruby's bag started moving around on its own. Then, the flap opened as we saw Zwei's head poking out. Okay, how long was Zwei in here for and how didn't we notice this?

We all stared at Zwei as Deneb asked **, "Ruby… why do you have a dog behind you?"**

Ruby looked over to Zwei and whispered, "Get back in the bag." Zwei barked in response.

Doctor Oobleck stared at Ruby intensely as he asked, "We're here to investigate an abandoned urban jungle teeming with death and hostility, and you brought... a dog?"

"I, uh…"

"Genius!" Doctor Oobleck exclaimed. Ruby shrugs as Doctor Oobleck snatches Zwei out of her hands. He spins around with Zwei as he said, "Canines are historically known for their perceptive nose and heightened sense of sound, making them excellent companions for a hunt such as ours!"

We stared at Oobleck until Ruby proudly states, "I'm a genius."

Weiss and Yang brought their hand to their face as Mai asked, "Ruby, so why did you bring your dog here?"

"Well... I didn't know what to do with him. I can't leave him alone and there's no one that could take care of him. If I asked anyone in school, the professors may find out of about Zwei and kick him out. And I can't bring him onto the the Den-Liner because The Owner doesn't allow dogs there!" Ruby quickly explained.

I walked between them and said, "Well, Doctor Oobleck already found out and he doesn't seem angry about it." I look back and see Zwei licking Doctor Oobleck's face.

Shuichi sighed and asked, "Well, with that out of the way, what now?"

"Yes, what's your orders, Doctor?" Blake asked.

"Ah, yes, straight to the chase; I like it!" Doctor Oobleck said before letting go of Zwei. "As you've been informed, the southeast area has been marked as a recent hot spot for Grimm activity. Now, there are several possible explanations for this behavior, one of which being…"

"Grimm." Shuichi interrupted.

"Uh, what?" Ruby said confusingly.

"There's a beowolf up ahead." Shuichi warned as he pointed his weapon at a beowolf several feet away from us. The beowolf doesn't seem to notice us as it simply looked around.

We all pointed our weapons at it until Doctor Oobleck said, "Stop!"

"What?" I lowered my weapon down as well as everyone else.

"There are a number of reasons why Grimm will congregate in this particular area, the most likely of which will be their attraction to negativity: sadness, envy, loneliness, hatred. All qualities that are likely held by our hidden group harboring ill intent."

"So... What now?" I asked.

"We wait. We track. If this specimen leads us to its pack, that pack may subsequently lead us to our prey."

"How long do we wait?" Blake asked.

"It's uncertain. Hours, days, weeks. Why, lone Grimm have been known to stay isolated from the pack for months - and there's the whole pack."

My eyes widen at that statement. I looked back at the beowolf and saw more following behind him. Shuichi and Mai pointed their weapons at them as Shuichi said, "I think they saw us."

"What?!" Weiss and I shouted.

"Mr. Nakamura has said that they've seen us!" Doctor Oobleck shouted.

The beowolves turned their heads towards us as they slowly become more hostile. "I take it that tracking them is out of the question?" Ruby asked.

"An accurate assumption, yes." Doctor Oobleck replied.

"What's the plan, then?" Yang asked.

The pack made their move as they charged towards us. "Show me what you're capable of." I summoned the Momotarosword and twirled it around as everyone else readied their weapon.

Ruby pointed Crescent Rose at the pack as she said to Zwei, "Cover your ears, Zwei!" Then, Ruby pulled the trigger, firing a round right into a beowolf's neck, effectively blasting its head off. From there, we separated, each of us handling a group. I looked around for a bit until I saw a three beowolves and a ursa charging at me. I switched out the Momotarosword with the Ryuvolver and began firing at them. The ursa took the most hits while the other three beowolves separated, avoiding the gunfire.

The ursa was still charging at me, so I had to act quick. I switched out the Ryuvolver back to the Momotarosword and rolled out of the way before the ursa ran over me. The ursa stopped itself as it turned around and faced me again. I decided to take initiative and attack first. I charged straight towards it as the ursa roared menacingly. The ursa attempted to grab me with his paws, but I quickly moved to its right side and amputate its arm off. It roared in pain as it turned towards me and tried to swipe at me with the only arm it has left. But, I managed to back away and do an upward strike, knocking the beast back. As it stumbled back, I saw that he was completely vulnerable, so I went in for the killing blow. I charged at it and jumped up towards it. Once I was near its head, I swung the sword across its neck, decapitating it.

I landed back on the ground as the ursa's head and body flopped on the floor. I did it! I finally killed my first ursa and didn't die! Yes, thank Oum for all that training! But, my early celebration was cut short as I hear growling coming from behind. I turned my head around and saw the three beowolves from before. "Oh, great. I celebrated too soon, didn't I?" I said to myself.

The beowolves were ready to pounce until they were suddenly encased in ice. I looked around to see who saved me and saw Weiss sticking her weapon in the ground. She pulled Myrtenaster out of the ground as she asked, "Kurokuu! Are you alright?!"

"Yeah! Thanks for the save, Weiss!" I shouted back. She gave me a quick smile before focusing back on the Grimm.

"Kurokuu, get up!" I looked up and saw Shuichi holding his hand out to me. I grabbed his hand as he pulled me up. "No time to rest, Kurokuu! You're lucky Weiss was there to save you, but she's not gonna save you twenty-four seven."

"Right, I know. Just… caught off guard." I muttered. Then, the gunfire stopped as all the Grimm around us were defeated.

We grouped back up with Team RWBY before returning back to Doctor Oobleck. Ruby lifted her weapon as she said, "Heh. Piece of cake!"

"Do not celebrate yet, for I am certain this is the first bout of many. Shall we continue?" Doctor Oobleck asked. We all nodded as he began leading us around the city.

But as the others follow, I stopped for a moment and stared up at the sun. The sun's hot rays made contact with my skin, heating up my already overheated body. I sighed loudly and said to myself, "This... is gonna be a long day."

"Mr. Akarui, come along now! We don't have all day!" Doctor Oobleck called out. I nodded before quickly catching up with everyone.

* * *

 _Hours have passed since their arrival. Team RWBY and MSKD are seen fighting off the Grimms in the area while Doctor Oobleck is seen taking notes. Doctor Oobleck is leaning against the wall as he watches Shuichi fighting off two ursas._

 _Shuichi jumped over the ursa as it tried to swipe him. It turned around and attempted to attack again, but Shuichi retraced behind him and sliced off the ursa's head. The other ursa roared as he charged straight at Shuichi, but he rolls out of the way just in time. Shuichi gets up and switches his sword into a crossbow and loaded an arrow with a rope attached to it. He fired at the charging beast as the arrow plunged into its shoulder._

 _It roared in pain as Shuichi turned his crossbow back into a sword. He held onto the rope tightly and pulled the ursa back. It fell on its back as Shuichi plunged his sword straight into its skull, killing it instantly._

 _Doctor Oobleck smirked as he walked over to Shuichi. "Well, Mr. Nakamura. I see you've gotten stronger." Doctor Oobleck noted._

 _Shuichi pulled his sword out of the ursa's skull and said, "Well, we're all bound to grow over time."_

" _If I may ask, did you find your reason to why you want to be a huntsman? You never gave me a straight answer the first time." Doctor Oobleck asked._

 _Shuichi stabbed his sword into the ground and said, "Yeah, I found my reason. It took four years of Beacon to finally know why." He looked up to the sun and took a deep breath. "I became a huntsman because I wanted to make the world a better place. I know there are other jobs similar to that, but being a huntsman is so much more. Being huntsman is more than just protecting people from Grimm… it's to give people hope. The hope to keep going through these tough times. That's why I became a huntsman. And I only learned about that now because of a certain rose I care about."_

 _Doctor Oobleck makes note of this and said, "I see… Well, I'm glad you found your reason." And without saying another word, he walks away, leaving Shuichi by himself._

* * *

 _Mai is firing arrow after arrow at the pack of beowolves, scoring every head shots. She was about to reach in for another arrow until she heard growling from behind. Mai turns around and whacks the beowolf that was about to pounce her. The beowolf stumbled back as it growled menacingly. Mai tossed her bow to the ground as she cracked her hands and neck._

 _She got into a fighting stance as her body glowed white. The beowolf charged and pounced at her, but Mai roundhouse kicks it in the side, causing it to glow white as well. The beowolf experienced Mai's slowdown semblance as it slowly falls back to the ground. But, Mai isn't waiting around for the effect to wear off as she kicked it into the ground before stomping her foot into its chest, causing blood to splatter on her white cargo pants._

 _Doctor Oobleck watched as she removed her foot out of the beowolf's chest. He decided to reveal himself as he walked over to Mai and said, "Well, done."_

" _Thanks. Knowing how to fight hand to hand is pretty useful if you have a semblance like mine." Mai bragged as she picked up her bow. "But damn, I'm out of arrows and I left my extras back on the bullhead." As she said that, Doctor Oobleck reached into his backpack and pulled out some arrows. "Thanks, Doc." Mai thanked before taking the arrows out of his hands._

" _No problem at all, Mai! As a teacher, you must be prepared for anything!" Doctor Oobleck said while pointing his finger in the air. He cleared his throat before asking, "If I may ask, why did you become a huntress?"_

 _Mai placed the arrows in her quiver and answered, "Well, back in my future, my mother and uncle would always tell me about my father. How he fought alongside the silver-eyed warrior and her team to stop a great evil. And ever since, I always look up to him, he's in my definition, a true hero. That's why I became a huntress, so I could be just like my father and honor his memories." Doctor Oobleck stared at Mai intensely before nodding silently and walking away._

* * *

 _Deneb is seen dispatching the rest of the baby nevermores flying around him. One of them pecked Deneb in the head, but he quickly snatched the bird and crushed it in his hands. He sighed happily until the squeal of a boarbatusk got his attention._

 _Deneb turned around and sees a boarbatusk scuffing its feet, ready to charge at him. Deneb cracked his neck and widen his stance. He had his hands out as he said excitedly_ _ **, "Yosha! Let's do this!"**_

 _The borbatusk squealed loudly before charging straight into Deneb. But, Deneb was prepared for this as he grabbed the borbatusk by his tusk. Deneb struggled as the borbatusk kept on moving around, trying to free itself. But in one swift motion, Deneb managed to toss the borbatusk in the air. The borbatusk's belly was exposed, allowing Deneb to finish it off._

 _Doctor Oobleck watched as Deneb finished off the boarbatusk. After Deneb did so, Doctor Oobleck walked towards him and complemented, "Great work, Deneb."_

 _Deneb turned towards him and started bowing._ " _ **Uh… thank you, Doctor Oobleck."**_

 _Doctor Oobleck took out a notepad and asked, "I hear that the Imagin's main goal is to destroy the past to alter the future. Why have you decided to go against that?"_

" _ **Well, when I was told my duty, I never wanted to participate in it. It felt wrong to me. But that was when I met my contract holder and ever since, we've been working together!"**_ _Deneb replied._

" _I see…" Doctor Oobleck mutter before walking away, leaving Deneb to scratch his head._

* * *

Man, how long have we been fighting for? Three? Four hours now? These Grimm just never stop coming do they? I pulled my sword out of the slain beowolf before looking around, making sure that there wasn't any Grimm coming up from behind. Luckily there wasn't, but I noticed the condition everyone is in. All of Team RWBY looked tired while my team looked like they managed.

But strange thing was, I didn't see Doctor Oobleck anywhere. Where could he be? But then, I heard howling behind me as I saw a pack of six beowolves coming after me. I switched out the Momotarosword for the Uratarod as the pack started to surround me.

I faced the beowolf in front of me as it started to growling at me. Then, the beowolf pounced, knocking me to the ground. The Uratarod was the only thing protecting me from the beowolf as it tried to pry my weapon out of my hands. I quickly lifted my leg up, pushing the beowolf off of me. I got up and stabbed the beowolf in the ground before back kicking a beowolf that was about to attack me from behind.

I pulled the rod out of the beowolf's stomach and threw it at the beowolf I kicked, spearing it right through the chest. The remaining four howled as they all tried to attack me at once. I managed to roll out of the way in time and summoned the Kintaros Axe as my new weapon in hand.

The beowolves were bundled together, just for me to cut through. I threw the axe in the air before jumping up with it. The axe glowed yellow as I grabbed the handle and let gravity pull me down. And once I was near them, I swung downwards, chopping them all in half.

I smirked as I said while doing a Kintaros impression, "Dynamic Chop!" Now I understand why Kintaros likes saying his catchphrase afterwards. Maybe I should have my own?

As their bodies slowly disintegrate, I hear footsteps coming from behind. I turned around and see Doctor Oobleck taking notes. Well, there he is. "So, I see you had some trouble." Doctor Oobleck stated.

"Well, I managed." I replied back.

He stopped writing for a moment as he asked, "If I may ask, why did you become a huntsman and the Den-O? You lived a comfortable life so why throw that away?"

I let the Kintaros Axe disappear in my hands and answered, "Well, at first, I kinda did this because I thought I had to. That it was something I couldn't put off. But over time at Beacon, I found my reason why I wanted to be a huntsman and the Den-O. I became a huntsman and Den-O because I want to protect everyone I care about."

Doctor Oobleck began writing more things in his notepad. He then asked another question, "And when did you realize your reason for protecting the people you care about?"

I stared at the floor, pondering what to say next. I scratched my head and said, "It was after a talk I had with Weiss. It reminded me all of closest friends and how important they are to me. And that's why I want to protect everyone I care about.

Doctor Oobleck raised his eyebrow before walking away. I stood there silently as I let the sweat drip down my face. For some reason, I felt conflicted with my answer. I'm fighting to protect the people that I care about, and that reason alone should be a good thing. But the motivation behind it is what bugged me. All across Remnant, huntsmen and huntresses are deemed as noble warriors that fight for the people to keep them safe, and that could be said about the Den-O and Zeronos. Which made me think more about my reasons.

Although I swore to protect everyone that I care about, was I really doing it out of selflessness? My reason seemed more selfish than anything else. I only do what I do so I wouldn't experience the pain of loss again. So do I truly deserve to be called a huntsman? Let alone a Kamen Rider?

* * *

 _Meanwhile on the Den-Liner, Momotaros, Urataros, and Kintaros all watched Kurokuu fighting while Ryutaros was just drawing. Kintaros cracked his neck and said_ _ **, "Kurokuu has grown so much! It brings a tear to my eye!"**_

" _ **Oi, Kuma. Don't flood the dining car."**_ _Momotaros said as he sat back down._

" _ **Kame-chan. Why did that green-haired guy ask Kurokuu that?"**_ _Ryutaros asked._

" _ **Don't know, Ryuta. Maybe he wants to know more about Kurokuu."**_ _Urataros suggested. He looked over to Momotaros and noticed how silent he is. Urataros walked over to Momotaros' table and asked_ _ **, "Senpai, you've been quiet lately."**_

 _Momotaros growled and said_ _ **, "There's an imagin somewhere."**_

" _ **Oh, then why aren't you telling Kurokuu?"**_

 _Momotaros scratched his head frustratingly as he stood up and said_ _ **, "I would but I can't seem to find him. My senses tell me he's here, but I don't see anyone there other than Kurokuu, the brats, and Grimms."**_

" _ **Strange. Wherever that imagin is, you better find him fast."**_ _Urataros said before standing up and walking away, leaving Momotaros by himself._

* * *

Several more hours passed by as we managed to clear most of the surrounding Grimm. I looked up in the sky and noticed that it was sunset. I looked at my team and Team RWBY and said, "Hey guys, the sun's about to set. We should start setting up a camp somewhere."

Doctor Oobleck zoomed towards me and said, "Splendid idea, Mr. Akarui!" He tossed his bag to Yang. "You seven, set up camp in that building. Oh, and please do make sure there are no more of those... creatures. Miss. Rose and I are going to secure the perimeter. Come, Ruby." Ruby followed Doctor Oobleck, who's most likely gonna ask Ruby the same question he asked me.

"Well, let's get going." Mai said as she led us to the building. We entered inside and luckily, there wasn't any Grimm inside that we had to deal with. From there, we set up our camp. We set up our sleeping bags, rationed our food supply, and started up a fire.

Nightfall came as we all decided to settle down and discuss about today. I laid down on my sleeping bag as Blake asked everyone, "So, did anyone find any clues on where the White Fang and Gaoh are?"

Weiss nodded her head no. "No, I could find any trace of them or where they could be. It's like they're never here." Weiss said.

"Are you sure that you couldn't find a clue?"

"Sorry, Blake. I haven't really taken the time to check since we were fighting off the Grimms." I apologized.

Blake sighed stressfully as Yang said, "I can't believe we didn't find anything…"

"We've always been fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time. I guess we can't always have luck on our side." Blake admitted.

Mai took off her quiver and said, "We'll keep searching tomorrow, early in the morning."

We all agreed to the idea until Weiss suddenly said, "That's not what I meant."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked Weiss.

"Earlier, about... upholding the legacy. There's more to it than that." When she said that, I understood what she meant. But why is she bringing this up?

"Yeah... No, me too. I mean... I don't know." Yang said with uncertainty in her voice.

Blake joined on the conversation and said, "I don't know, either. I know what I want to do, but I figured I'd always take things one step at a time."

"Well, it doesn't matter. We know why we're here. Right?"

I joined in and asked, "I hate to ask, but am I missing something here?" The girls all looked at each other before Weiss turned her gaze at me.

"Professor Oobleck asked all of us why we became huntresses. Did he ask you?" Weiss asked. I nodded yes in response.

"I see. Looks like he asked everyone." Shuichi noted. "I was asked the same thing. Did he ask you two as well?"

Deneb and Mai nodded. " **Yes, but he asked a similar question. He asked why I decided to help you."**

Shuichi nodded as Mai asked everyone, "So does anyone know why Professor Oobleck asked everyone that?" We all remained quiet, unsure of our answers. Why would he want to ask everyone that question? Is he trying to learn who we are personally or is it something more?

"Ah, wonderful; a textbook campfire!" I jumped a little at the sudden appearance of Doctor Oobleck. Ruby and Zwei turned around the corner and saw the warm, camp fire. She and Zwei huddled around it, trying to keep themselves warm. "Very good! Eat your dinners and hurry to bed. We have a lot of ground to cover tomorrow and we'll need you to take turns keeping watch over our temporary abode. Any volunteers for first watch?"

"I'll go. I'm a light sleeper." Shuichi said as he walked over to the lookout point and sat quietly, staring in the distance.

As Doctor Oobleck zoomed off, Yang stopped Ruby and asked, "Hey, did Oobleck ask you why you wanted to be a Huntress? I mean... what did you tell him?"

"Hmm... No, he didn't. Weird. Oh, well; good night, guys!" Ruby replied before going off to bed. After we finished our dinner, we laid on our sleeping bag around the fire to keep ourselves warm from the night. Zwei ran to Ruby for comfort as he heard the howling of the beowolves. Ruby hugged Zwei like a pillow and said, "Don't worry. Things will be better tomorrow."

Hopefully things go well tomorrow. But somehow, I doubt that.

* * *

I tossed and turned on my sleeping bag, trying to find a comfortable position for me to sleep in. And the sound of Deneb snoring isn't helping me either. Realizing that I can't sleep, I sat back up and sighed loudly. I looked around and saw that Shuichi was still awake. I whispered to him, "Hey, do you want me to take over?"

"No, it's fine. Just go back to sleep." Shuichi brushed off before focusing on whatever he's looking at.

I looked around and saw that everyone was sleeping, that is until I see Yang opening her eyes. She looked towards me and asked, "Can't sleep?"

"Yeah, I'm not used to sleeping outside." I answered. "Why are you awake?"

"Just thinking about something…" Yang said. I assume she's mentioning about the question Doctor Oobleck asked us. She turned over to Blake and asked, "Blake, are you awake?"

Blake stopped pretending to sleep as she replied, "Yeah.

Yang looked at the both of us and asked, "Why do you think he asked us about being a huntress? Like, what was he trying to say?"

"Maybe he's just curious." Blake said with uncertainty.

"You think?" Yang asked as she turned towards Blake.

Blake stayed silent for a moment before rolling on her back and replying, "No."

Yang sighed as she turned towards me and asked, "What about you, Kurokuu?"

I run my hand through my hair as I said, "I don't know. Maybe he's trying to get us to realize something?"

"I guess so, but realize what?" Yang laid on her back before asking Weiss and Mai, "Weiss, Mai, are you awake?"

"Of course I'm awake! You three are talking!" Weiss snapped.

Mai got up and straighten out her hair as she said, "Yeah, and also the fact that Deneb's snoring is keeping me awake."

Yang then popped them the question, "Why do you guys think Professor Oobleck asked us that?"

"I don't know…" Weiss said. "When he asked me about it, I told him why. I told him that I wanted to honor the family's name, and I meant it. But, it's not what you think. I'm not stupid. I'm fully aware of what my father has done with the Schnee Dust Company. Since he took control, our business has operated in a... moral gray area."

"That's putting it lightly." Blake muttered.

But Weiss didn't give her the usual glare as she just continued with what she was saying. "Which is why I feel the need to make things right. If I had taken a job in Atlas, it wouldn't have changed anything. My father was not the start of our name, and I refuse to let him be the end of it."

I looked at Weiss and said, "And you'll succeed in saving your family's legacy, I just know it."

Weiss smiled at the support I gave her as Yang asked Mai, "So, why did Oobleck ask you?"

Mai takes off her white hood and said, "Well, I can't say much, but in my future, my father died and became a hero. My mother and uncle would always tell me stories about his adventures. And I knew from that day, I wanted to be just like him. So here I am now." She looked at her white hood and said, "And this white hood was given to me by my mom. She said that this was something that my father cherished and she thought that giving it to me would help me stay connected with him."

We all gave Mai a sympathetic look as I said, "Mai, I'm sorry for what happened."

"It's fine. There's no point for me to dwell on the past." Mai said with a stoic expression on her face.

Blake then told her backstory. "All my life, I fought for what I thought was right. I had a partner named Adam."

"Adam? That guy on the train with you?" I asked.

Blake nodded in response before continuing with her backstory. "More of a mentor, actually. He always assured me that what we were doing would make the world a better place. But of course, his idea of a perfect future turned out to be not perfect for everyone. I joined the Academy because I knew that huntsmen and huntresses were regarded as the most noble warriors in the world. Always fighting for good. But I never really thought past that. When I leave the Academy, what will I - how can I undo so many years of hate?"

"Blake, I know you'll find a way."

"Kurokuu's right. You're not one to back down from a challenge, Blake." Yang reassured.

"But I do! I do it all the time! When you learned I was a Faunus, I didn't know what to do, so I ran! When I realized my oldest partner had become a monster, I ran! Even my semblance! I was born with the ability to leave behind a shadow of myself; an empty copy that takes the hit while I run away!"

Comparing their reasons to mine made me feel lower than them. All three of them fought out of selflessness. Weiss fighting to protect her family name, Mai fighting to honor her father, and Blake fighting to bring equality to the faunus and humans. I decided this was a time for me to get it out. I sighed and said, "Well, at least you guys are doing something selfless. When I told everyone my reason for fighting for, I thought I was doing it out of selflessness. But now when I look back at it, I was doing it for the complete opposite reason. I only wanted to protect everyone so that I wouldn't feel the pain of loss again. And it made me wonder how I could even call myself a huntsman, let alone the Den-O?"

They all stared at me until Weiss said, "Kurokuu, I don't think your reasoning behind it is a bad thing."

I was genuinely surprised by Weiss' response. "Why do you say that?" I asked.

"Because you're not just doing it for yourself, you're doing it for others as well. If your intention was selfish as your reason, you would've never chosen this path. Your intention is still to protect the people you care about and that's all that matters."

I felt some weight being lifted off my shoulders. To know that my reason is backed up by good intentions makes me feel reassured about myself. I smiled at Weiss and said, "Thanks, Weiss. It's really nice to hear that from you."

Yang joined in and said, "Yeah, Ice Queen's right. I'm kinda like you." Yang rolled on her front as she explained, "In life, I've just kinda of always, gone with the flow, y'know? And that's fine, I mean, that's who I am. But how long can I really do that for? I wanna be a huntress, not really because I want to be a hero, but because I want the adventure. I want a life where I won't know what tomorrow will bring. And that'll be a good thing. Being a Huntress just happens to line up with that."

She looked over to the sleeping Rose as she continued, "I'm not like Ruby, she's always wanted to be a Huntress. It's like she said, ever since she was a kid, she'd dreamt about being the heroes in the books. Helping people and saving the day, and never asking for anything else in return. Even when she couldn't fight, she knew that's what she wanted to do. That's why she trained so hard to get where she is today."

"Well, she's just a kid." Weiss said with a hint of worriedness in her voice.

"She's only two years younger. We're all kids. And Shuichi is four years older than us." Blake pointed out.

"Well, not anymore. I mean, look where we are! In the middle of a warzone and armed to the teeth!" Yang said.

"It's the life we chose." Mai said.

"It's a job. We all had this romanticized vision of being a huntsman and huntress in our heads! But at the end of the day, it's a job to protect the people! And whatever we want, will have to come second." Weiss explained.

She's right about that. Being a huntsman and Den-O means that my priority is protecting people. But, that priority has been stopping me for my search of Nakamura for answers.

We all remained quiet for a bit until I hear Shuichi getting up and walking towards us. We all looked at him and as he said, "Agreed. We don't get to do what we want, but that's something we need to be willing to sacrifice in order to protect the people." Shuichi walked over to his sleeping bag and sat down. "Well, I think you all had a good bonding session, but we need to get some rest to continue our mission."

"Wait." Weiss asked. "Why did you become a huntsman?"

Shuichi laid down and placed his arms behind his head. He sighed and said, "That's a story for another time." He yawned briefly. "Could one of you guys take over?"

"I'll go." I told everyone. I stood up and said, "Night everyone."

"Good night, Kurokuu." Weiss said as everyone began settling down.

I made my way to lookout spot and sat down quietly. I looked down as I see the beowolves roaming around and baby nevermores flying in the sky. Then, I looked up towards the shining moon. If only Nakamura was around to see this. Still, I haven't been actively searching for him in a while, but I think that's for the better for now.

Especially with Gaoh and the White Fang hiding out here somewhere. Speaking of which, where could he be? Blake said that he should be leading his operation in the southeast quadrant, so where is he?

Then, sand came off my clothes as Momotaros appeared in front of me. "Momotaros? What're you doing here?" I asked.

" **I'm sensing an imagin nearby."** Momotaros informed.

This is perfect! A clue! "Great! If we find the imagin, he/she could lead us to the White Fang and Gaoh!" I said excitedly.

" **Don't get your hopes up. I sense him, but I can't see him anywhere."** Momotaros said.

I sighed loudly as I run my hand through my hair. I stood up and said, "Well, at least we know the White Fang and Gaoh are nearby by. But the question is where? There's nothing but destroyed buildings and Grimms. So why would they set their operations here?"

We pondered silently until I heard louding panting. I looked down and saw that Zwei was awake and is watching us. Momotaros screamed **, "AHHH! IT'S THAT STUPID DOG!"**

"Momotaros! Quiet!" I whispered. Then, Zwei started barking at us before running off. "Zwei! Get back here! Momotaros, come on!" I said before chasing after Zwei. Momotaros groaned for a bit before following me.

Momotaros and I exited the building and saw Zwei peeing outside in a bush. I sighed as I walked towards him and scolded, "Zwei, you know you could just do that anywhere. It's a wasteland!"

Zwei barked back in response. "What was that?" I jumped at the sound of the voice before grabbing Zwei and hiding behind a corner. Momotaros, Zwei, and I peeked over the corner and saw two White Fang members standing around.

"What was that?" The other White Fang member asked.

"I thought I heard a beowolf or something." The first White Fang member said.

"Hmph. Let's just finish our patrol and get back to base." The other White Fang member said as they began walking away.

"This place gives me the creeps." He commented.

As I see them slowly walking away, Momotaros turned to me and said **, "There they are! Let's take them!"**

"Wait." I stopped Momotaros. "Let's follow them. If we can find out where their base is, we could tell the others and attack them then. We'll be outnumbered if we fight them."

Momotaros sighed and said **, "Alright."**

"Great, let's go." I said as we slowly began followed them. We tiptoed from cover to cover, making sure that the two guards don't see or hear us. This went on for half an hour until we reached the other side of the city. We hid behind the ruins as we see the two enter a large metal door which is probably the entrance to their base. I smiled and whispered, "Great! We found their base!"

" **Well, call them!"** Momotaros said.

I quickly pulled out my scroll and called my team, but I couldn't since I have low signal. "Crap, I can't connect to them." I told Momotaros. "Let's get back to the others and tell them about their locations." Momotaros nodded in agreement as we start running back to camp. But as we ran down the streets, I felt something cracking below my feet. Zwei started whimpering as the ground below us collapsed!

" **Kurokuu!"** Momotaros shouted as he stood on the edge of the sinkhole. I held onto Zwei and the broken asphalt as I looked down and saw how deep the hole was. With all my strength, I tossed Zwei out of the hole, allowing him to escape. Momotaros panicked as he shouted **, "Oi, Kurokuu! Don't let go!"**

I swung my other arm on the broken asphalt, trying to lift myself out of the ground. But, the asphalt eventually gave way as I plummet down to wherever the hole led me. I screamed loudly in fear as I felt the air rushed pass me before landing on something hard. I groaned in pain as I slowly got up to assess my situation. I looked up and saw the hole I fell from, but I didn't see Momotaros or Zwei standing up there. I called out to them, "MOMOTAROS! YOU THERE?!"

" **KUROKUU! YOU'RE ALIVE!"** I hear Momotaros shout back. " **I'M GONNA GO DOWN THERE!"**

"MOMOTAROS, DON'T! JUST GET BACK TO THE GROUP AND TELL EVERYONE ABOUT ME AND THE WHITE FANG BASE! I'LL FIGURE A WAY OUT!" I didn't hear a response, so I'm hoping that Momotaros got the message and ran back to the group. I take a look my surroundings and saw that I'm in some kind of underground ruined city. But how and why is it here? I looked around a little more until I saw a door which I hope would lead me back to the surface.

I quickly ran towards the door, only for the door to be burst open by two White Fang members. They pointed their rifles at me as one of them shouted, "Freeze!"

"Where did he come from?" The other White Fang guard asked. They slowly close in on me as I slowly back way. But then, I stopped as soon as I reached to the very edge of the building I'm on.

Crap, what do I do? I can't run or they'll shoot me! Then, I felt my body being possessed as Kintaros took over. 'Kintaros! What're you doing here!'

" **Helping you, Kurokuu-dono!"** Kintaros answered as he charged straight towards them. They started to panic as they began firing at me. But Kintaros' aura protected me from the bullets as he grabbed them both by their necks and choke slammed them into the ground.

The White Fang guards are knocked out cold as Kintaros jumped out of my body and appeared before me in his sand form. I breathed heavily and said, "Thanks for the save. I owe you."

" **It's no problem at all!"** Kintaros said. " **But you should get out of here and regroup with the others."**

I agreed with Kintaros' idea as we made our escape. I opened the door to see a functioning elevator on my left that would lead me back to the surface. Kintaros and I entered inside and pressed the surface level button. The door closes as we waited patiently for us to arrive back up to the surface. Alright, new plan. Get back with the others, come back here, and take Gaoh and the White Fang down.

" **Kurokuu, are you okay?"** Kintaros asked.

"Yeah. Just a little nervous after what happened." I responded. "But once we get back with the others, we're gonna stop Gaoh."

" **That's right. The climax is about to begin!"** Kintaros said as he cracked his neck. The door finally opened as we arrived on the surface. But what we didn't expect was a large group of armed White Fang soldiers waiting on the other side.

They pointed their rifles as me and Kintaros slowly raised our hands in the air and got on our knees. The group moved out of the way, allowing Gaoh to walk through and face me and Kintaros. Gaoh smirked as he took a bite of his apple. He wiped the juices off his face and said, "We meet again, Den-O."

* * *

 _Meanwhile at the camp, everyone was sleeping soundly until Weiss slowly woke up from her slumber. She yawned loudly while stretching her arms out. Weiss looked around and saw that everyone is still sleeping except for Kurokuu, who wasn't in his sleeping bag._

" _Strange. Is he still on watch?" Weiss asked herself as she walked over to the lookout spot. "Hey, Kurokuu. You should get some sle-" She cut herself off mid-sentence as she realized that Kurokuu wasn't there. Worried, she ran back to the group and said, "Guys, wake up. Kurokuu's gone!"_

 _Everyone slowly woke back up as Yang grumbled and said, "Weiss... it's five in the morning."_

 _Mai rubbed her eyes and asked everyone, "Guys, where's Kurokuu?"_

 _And on cue, Zwei and Momotaros came running into the room. Momotaros breathed heavily and said_ _ **, "Oi! You gotta save Kurokuu!"**_

" _Why? What happened?" Shuichi asked._

 _Doctor Oobleck appeared around the corner and said, "Grab your weapons! Your teammate may be in trouble."_

* * *

He kneeled down to me and patted my face. "You hungry? Seems like you haven't eaten yet." I glared at Gaoh. "I'll take that as a no."

"I know your plans, Gaoh. You're trying to get the Gaoh-Liner. And let me tell you, you're not getting your hands on it anytime soon. We'll stop you and the White Fang." I said to Gaoh.

Gaoh glared back at me before backhanding me in the face, knocking me to the ground. " **KUROKUU!"** Kintaros shouted as he tried to jump into my body.

But everyone pointed their guns at me as Gaoh said while moving his index finger side to side, "Uh, uh, uh. I wouldn't do that if I were you. Possess him and he'll be riddled with bullets. And your aura won't last very long." Kintaros curled his hands into a fist before slowly backing away from me.

* * *

 _Team RWBY, MS(K)D, Doctor Oobleck, Momotaros, and Zwei ran to where the sinkhole was, only to see a group of White Fang members and Gaoh surrounding Kurokuu and Kintaros. "There he is. What do we do?" Blake asked._

 _Doctor Oobleck turned his thermos into a club as he asked, "Mai, Mr. Nakamura, do you have a stun arrow?" Mai and Shuichi nodded as they pulled out a stun arrow out of their quivers. "Okay, on my mark."_

* * *

I got back up and saw Mai and Shuichi at a distance, pointing their weapons at them. I look at Kintaros to confirm if he saw them, and he nodded in response. Knowing what they're about to do, I went along and continued as if they weren't there. "You think you're gonna stop me?" Gaoh asked as he reached into my pocket and grabbed my pass. "Can't stop me if you can't transform."

I looked back at Shuichi and Mai and saw them fire their arrows. "Kintaros, now." I said as we both close our eyes and looked away. I heard the arrow hit the wall and start beeping until the White Fang guards and Gaoh began shouting in pain. Taking this opportunity, I tackled Gaoh down and snatched the pass out of his hands. "I got it! Let's go!"

Kintaros and I dashed back to the team as Weiss asked, "Kurokuu, are you okay?!"

"I'm fine, Weiss." I replied. I look back at Gaoh and the White Fang as they're slowly recovering from the flash bang.

Mai and Shuichi regrouped back with us as Doctor Oobleck noted, "Seems like the White Fang is here as expected. Shall we put an end to their operation?"

I nodded as I pulled out the belt and said, "Momotaros, let's go."

" **Alright!"** Momotaros said as I wrapped the belt around my waist.

"Deneb, come!" Shuichi said as he wrapped the belt around his waist as well.

" **Roger!"** Deneb said as he places his arms over Shuichi's shoulder.

Everyone loaded their weapons as I pressed the red button on the belt while Shuichi pulls a card out of his card holder and slides the switch on top of his belt. The tunes of the belt overlapped each other as we both said, "Henshin!"

 **SWORD FORM**

 **VEGA FORM**

Our armor materialized as the pieces of our armor appeared. But while Shuichi's armor pieces attached with his suit, I heard Kintaros cracking his neck and said **, "Out of the way, Momoji!"** Suddenly, I felt Momotaros get kicked out of my body as Kintaros took over instead.

 **AXE FORM**

The red pieces of armor rearranged itself to reveal the yellow armor pieces before combining with my suit. Then, the faceplate appeared and attached with the helmet, completing the transformation.

Momotaros growled loudly as he shouted **, "OI, KUMA! YOU CAN'T DO THAT!"**

" **Step aside, Momoji."** Kintaros said as he stood in front of everyone. He cracked his neck and said to Gaoh and the White Fang **, "My strength will make you cry!"**

Gaoh rolled his eyes and said, "Just go get them." The White Fang soldiers followed his orders as they came charging straight at us.

Ruby raised Crescent Rose in the air and said, "Alright, gang! Attack!" On cue, we all charged into battle, leaving Doctor Oobleck, Zwei, and Momotaros behind. Kintaros charged into battle and tackled one White Fang soldier down before getting up and punching the other one out cold. He quickly takes the Den-Gasher pieces and forms his axe before slashing an incoming soldier from the left. While Kintaros was dealing with his group, I look over to Deneb and saw him dispatching the White Fang soldiers around him. He slashed one down before back kicking another behind him. Then, he switches his sword into its' crossbow form and shot every soldier around him.

I then look at Momotaros, who looked visibly angry. Momotaros shouted at Kintaros **, "OI, DON'T STEAL THE CLIMAX FROM ME!"** Then, he did the unthinkable as he looked at Doctor Oobleck and said **, "Oi, slime-haired bastard! I'm taking over!"**

I look back at Momotaros and said, 'Momotaros, don't!'

Mai was putting one of the White Fang soldiers in a chokehold as she looked back at Momotaros and said, "Is he serious?!"

But it was too late as Momotaros jumped into Doctor Oobleck, completely taking control of his body. Doctor Oobleck's appearance changed slightly with a red streak in his green hair and his tie being red instead of yellow. Momotaros took off Doctor Oobleck's glasses, revealing his signature red eyes, before crushing it in his hands. He twirled around with Doctor Oobleck's club and said **, "This feels a little weird, but it'll have to do."** Momotaros then charged into battle while shouting **, "IZUKE! IKUZE! IKUZE!"**

Weiss froze some of the soldiers in the place with Myrtenaster as she said, "That stupid idiot!"

Ruby was firing away as she said to Weiss, "Weiss, now it's not the time. We need to focus on taking them down!"

Momotaros ran up to one of the soldiers and whacked him in the face before kicking another one in the stomach. As the soldier stumbled back, Momotaros raised the club in the air and whacked the soldier in the head, knocking him out instantly. Momotaros placed his foot on top of the unconscious White Fang soldier until he sees a group of eight charging straight at him. He panics a little until he sees Zwei behind him. " **AH! GET AWAY! BAD DOG"** Momotaros said as he tried to shoo Zwei away. But Zwei kept on barking at Momotaros, trying to get his attention. Momotaros stared at Zwei for a second until he realized what Zwei was trying to say. " **You sure?"** Zwei barked in response before jumping and flipping in the air. The soldiers were getting closer and closer as Momotaros twirled the club around and said **, "Alright, let's do this!"**

The tip of the club starts emitting flames as he struck Zwei, turning him into a ball of fire and launching him straight towards the soldiers. Ruby panicked as she shouted to everyone, "Everyone! Take cover!"

Kintaros looked around for cover until he saw that Mai was out in the open. He dashed towards her and shouted **, "Mai! Get down!"** Kintaros tackled Mai down and used himself as a shield to protect her from whatever may happen next. Team RWBY got back together as Weiss conjured an ice shield to protect her team while Deneb braced himself. We watched as Zwei crashed into the group of soldiers, causing a chain of explosions to occur, sending all of the soldiers flying. The explosion finally stopped as smoke covered the area.

Ruby and the rest of her team got up as she shouted, "Zwei! Where are you?!" Silence filled the air until it was interrupted by a bark. Ruby looked into the smoke and saw Zwei running towards her. "Zwei, you're okay!" Ruby said with tears in her eyes as he pounced onto Ruby and began licking her face.

Deneb regrouped back with us as he looked around and asked **, "Hey, where's Momotaros?"**

We all started to panic a little as Blake said, "He could've been caught in the explosion!"

" **Hold it!"** We hear Momotaros shouting. We then see an outline of a figure in the smoke as Momotaros walked out, completely covered in dust. Momotaros waved the smoke away as he coughed and said **, "I couldn't get to cover in time, but I'm still alive."** Mai sighed loudly as she walked up to Momotaros and slapped him in the face. " **OW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR WOMAN?!"**

"You idiot! You could've gotten the professor killed because of your actions!" Mai scolded as she slapped him again.

" **OW! WELL SLAPPING HIM ISN'T GONNA MAKE IT BETTER!"** Momotaros shouted back. Mai then pinched his cheek as Momotaros did the same to her.

Kintaros looked up in the smoke and said **, "Wait... there's an imagin here."** We all watched silently as the smoke finally died down, revealing one White Fang soldier still standing. His mask was completely shattered, revealing his black sclera and red iris. Then, sand came off of him as it slowly formed into a molech imagin.

He rolled his neck around and said **, "Contract complete."** The molech imagin then jumped into the White Fang soldier's memories.

"He flew!" Mai said as we ran towards him. She places the ticket near his head as the date displayed 6/16/2010. Then, a portal opened in the sky as the Den-Liner and Zero-Liner exit out of it and parked in front of us. "Alright, let's go."

We boarded onto the Den-Liner while Deneb boarded on the Zero-Liner. But before we could leave, Weiss looked around and asked, "Hey! Where's Gaoh?"

Momotaros sighed and pulled her on board. " **Not now! We'll deal with him later!"** Momotaros said as the Den-Liner began departing. Kintaros entered the engine room as we hopped on the Den-Bird and placed the pass in the slot, setting our destination to 6/16/2010.

* * *

 _June 16, 2010_

 _It was late at night as the sound of sirens filled the air. A cheetah faunus is seen running through the alleyways, trying to lose the cops behind him. "Get back here!" One of the police officers shouted. But, the cheetah faunus kept on going as he hopped over the fence. But as soon as he got to the other side, he was stopped by two other cops in front of him. They pointed their guns at him as one of them said, "Freeze!"_

 _The cheetah faunus slowly raised his hands in the air as sand started seeping through his clothes. The sand slowly formed into the molech imagin, scaring both the cheetah faunus and the cops. The molech imagin pulled out a hook staff and began causing mayhem. And watching from the rooftops was none other than Nakamura, who was staring at his stopwatch. Once the minute hand struck eight o'clock, the portal opened as the Den-Liner and Zero-Liner entered this time period. To remain hidden, Nakamura fled the scene, allowing the Den-O and Zeronos to stop the rampaging imagin._

* * *

Kintaros headed back to the dining car as everyone else got ready. Momotaros, who was still in Doctor Oobleck's body, walked up to Kintaros and smacked him in the head. " **Oi, Kuma! Don't ever do that again!"**

Kintaros scoffed at Momotaros and said **, "Fine. Fine. I won't do that again, even though I'm a much more a competent partner than you."**

" **What did you say?!"** Momotaros asked angrily as he got up face to face with Kintaros.

Mai grabbed Momotaros by the horn and said, "Now is not the time! You're staying here!"

" **No way! I'm not gonna let Kuma finish the fight!"** Momotaros complained.

I sighed and said to Kintaros, 'Kintaros, just let Momotaros go.'

He sighed and nodded yes. " **Momoji! You're up!"** Kintaros said.

Momotaros cheered happily and said **, "Ha! Ha! Looks like Kurokuu let me go this time!"**

Momotaros then jumped into my body, kicking Kintaros out and causing him to land on Ryutaros. " **Oi! Kuma-chan! Get off of me!"**

 **SWORD FORM**

The faceplate disappeared as the yellow armor pieces rearranged itself to reveal the red armor. The red armor pieces attached to the suit as the red faceplate appeared and attached with the helmet. Momotaros stretches his arms around as he said excitedly **, "Finally, some action! I hadn't done anything in awhile."**

Doctor Oobleck rubs his temple and said, "That was an interesting experience! My body experiencing possession by an imagin! And this train! This must be the Den-Liner that Ozpin mentioned!"

Blake walked up to Doctor Oobleck and asked, "Uh...doc? Are you okay?"

"He'll be just fine." The Owner said. We all jumped at his sudden appearance as he said, "Naomi, please tend to Mr. Oobleck's wounds." Naomi nodded as she began patching Doctor Oobleck up.

"I'm quite fine with the help of these people! Although, I do seem to be in need for a pair of new glasses." Doctor Oobleck responded. "But, I don't think I'm in any condition to fight at the moment. So I hope you students can stop the imagin from destroying the past."

Ruby cocks her gun and said, "We won't let you down, Professor Oobleck!"

"That's Doctor Oobleck!" Doctor Oobleck pointed out.

Ruby nodded and said, "Alright, gang! Let's stop the imagin!" We all nodded as we exited the dining car. The Den-Liner dropped us off in the middle of Vale as the molech imagin continued rampaging. Then, the Zero-Liner dropped Deneb, now completing the group. Ruby shifted Crescent Rose in her scythe form and shouted, "Hey!"

The molech imagin faced us and said **, "The Den-O and Zeronos, along with a couple of huntresses."**

Momotaros and Deneb formed their swords as Momotaros said **, "Ore sanjou!"** Without warning, Momotaros charged straight into battle and slashed the imagin across the chest, knocking him back.

The molech imagin slowly got up until he was bombarded by bullets by Deneb, Mai, and Team RWBY. As he was being pushed back, Deneb jumped over Momotaros and slashed the molech imagin in the stomach before slashing him in the back. Deneb stabs his sword into the ground and said **, "Let me say this from the start, we are fairly strong!"**

The molech imagin groaned in pain as he tried to attack Deneb, but Mai shot a stun arrow in his arm. The molech imagin roared in pain as he pulled the arrow out, but the timer went off, blinding the molech imagin. Taking this opportunity, Ruby charged in and slashed the imagin relentlessly before shouting, "Deneb, Yang, Cygnus!"

Deneb and Yang nodded as Yang charged in and uppercutted the molech imagin in the face, sending him flying into the sky. Deneb then hopped onto Yang's back as she uses Ember Celica as force to launch him towards the molech imagin. He flew into the air until he met face to face with the imagin. Deneb slashes the imagin around before stabbing him in the chest. He then stood on top of the molech imagin as they crashed back to the ground, crushing the imagin.

Deneb and Yang backed away as Momotaros and Blake took over. Momotaros slashed the imagin across the chest before doing a front kick to push him back. Then, Blake jumps off of Momotaros' shoulder and gets in a few slashes before back kicking him. The molech imagin got up and tried to attack Blake, but she quickly rolls out of the way and left behind her fire dust afterimage. The molech imagin wasn't able to stop himself as he attacked the afterimage, causing an explosion to occur.

Momotaros and Blake decided to back away as Mai and Weiss took over. Weiss launched herself over the imagin with her glyphs as Mai fired arrow after arrow, landing every shot. Weiss spins the cylinder of Myrtenaster as it lands on lighting dust. Her rapier glowed yellow as she placed a glyph under her feet. Then, she ran towards him and attacked at lightning speed. The molech imagin cried in pain before Weiss does her final thrust, sending him flying back to Ruby.

Ruby smirked as she switched out her normal rounds with gravity dust. Then, she fired her weapon, launching her straight into the molech imagin as she began hacking and slashing at him while firing to keep her off the ground. During her assault, Ruby places her scythe around the molech imagin as she shouts, "Momotaros, now!"

" **Alright! This is my hissatsu attack! Part 1!"** Momotaros said as he placed the pass in front of the belt.

 **FULL CHARGE**

Lasers entered the hilt of the sword as the blade glowed bright red. Momotaros holds his sword one handed as he charged straight towards Ruby and the molech imagin. With all her strength, Ruby launches the molech imagin towards Momotaros, who then slashes the imagin in the stomach.

The molech imagin groaned in pain as his final words were **, "Long... live… GAOH!"** Then, the molech imagin exploded, leaving nothing left behind.

We all grouped back together as Ruby cheered, "Great job, guys! We stopped the operation and the imagin!"

Momotaros and Deneb disconnected the belts as our armor dematerialized. I breathed softly and said, "I guess, but Gaoh got away."

Weiss places her hand on my shoulder and said, "We'll find him soon. For now, we should get back to the present and capture the White Fang there."

"Agreed." Yang said. "After a long two days, I just want to go back home and get some sleep." We all agreed with that idea before making our way back to the Den-Liner, which is surprisingly still there. But suddenly, the Den-Liner started taking off on its own.

We started to panic, fearing that the Den-Liner will desert us in this time period. I started waving my hand in the air, trying to get The Owner to stop. But that didn't work so I began shouting, "WAIT! DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT US!"

"Why is the Den-Liner leaving without us?!" Ruby asked.

"I don't know! HEY, WHAT'RE YOU DOING?!" Yang shouted.

But then, one of the doors opened, revealing Gaoh on board. "Gaoh?! How did you hijack the Den-Liner?!" I asked.

He took a bite from his pineapple and said, "Really? Did you honestly think I set my operations in a Grimm infested area? That I would tell the new recruits where one of our base of operations are located?"

Shuichi caught on to what Gaoh meant as he said, "You set this all up!"

"Correct. And now…" Suddenly, Gaoh kicked me in the face, knocking my head back against the asphalt. "The Den-Liner is now mine."

My vision is slowly starting to become blurry as I hear the voices around me drown out. Before I fell into unconsciousness, the last thing I heard was a girl with white hair calling my name. Wait... who is she again?

* * *

(A/N:) Well, there's part one to the two part finale. I know many of you are wondering why I decided to use the Kamen Rider Den-O: I'm Born movie as the volume 2 finale. Because one, I want to mix the two worlds together so I thought that this would make a fun and epic finale. Also this event would be crucial for Kurokuu in the next few chapters, so I decided to chose this route instead of the canon finale.

So what did you think? Leave a review on what you thought about this chapter and I'll see you next chapter. Bye!


	20. Chapter 20: I'm Born Part 2

(A/N:) Well... hey, everyone. Welcome back to the Volume 2 Finale chapter of Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time. And before you go off on me, I just want to apologize for the long wait that I had to put you all through. I don't have any excuses like tests or anything of the sorts. I've just been lazy and slowly took my time with this. I know that you're probably still upset, but I hope you find it in your hearts to forgive me. Anyways! The FINALE! DUN DUN DUN DUUUN! We have reached 20 chapters over the span of... I think 7-8 months? Wow, that shows how much time I have on my hands. Anyways, it has been a wild and rough journey and it has led us to now. So, grab your popcorn and get ready because this is gonna be a long chapter! As always, leave a review on what you thought about this chapter and I hope you all enjoy!

 **BlazingEdge:** **Again, sorry that I had to make you wait. But yes, I know have some people that will think I'm focusing on too much of one source. But I promise you all, that I'm mixing the two worlds together, while at the same time, adding my own little twist. And second, THE CLIMAX IS COMING.**

 **TheLunaticChild:** **Why, thank you! I'm glad that you feel this way about my story. Seeing reviews like these gives me more reasons to keep writing, even when I have to deal with some haters from time to time. And life. And time. You get the point. Well I'm not gonna force you guys to wait any longer. LET'S GET THE SHOW ON THE ROAD!**

I do not I own the rights to the series RWBY or Kamen Rider. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth Productions and The Kamen Rider Series is owned by Toei Company

"Normal Speech"

'Thoughts/Inner communication between OC and imagin'

 _"Third Person/Flashback"_

 **"Imagin speech"**

* * *

" _Correct. And now…" Gaoh kicks Kurokuu in the face, causing him to fall back and hit his head on the asphalt._

" _Kurokuu!" Weiss shouted as she and the rest of the group came to Kurokuu's aid._

" _I control the Den-Liner!" Gaoh shouted as the Den-Liner entered into the portal in the sky, stranding them in the year 2010._

 _But that didn't matter at the moment as everyone huddled around Kurokuu, hoping that he's okay. "Kurokuu! Are you okay?!" Weiss shouted while shaking him around._

 _He didn't respond at all as his eyes slowly close. While everyone was worrying about Kurokuu, Yang stared up at the sky where Gaoh made his escape. She curled her hands into a fist as she shouted at the top of her lungs, "DAMN IT!"_

 _Everyone went immediately quiet until Blake got up and asked, "So what do we do now? Den-Liner's gone and we can't stay here for long."_

 _Shuichi took a deep breath and said, "We still have the Zero-Liner. Once we can get access to it, we could board on and go after Gaoh. But we need a place to lay low for awhile."_

 _Everyone was pondering what to do about that until Ruby said, "We could go to the Milk Dipper. Maybe if we bring Kurokuu there to Kasumi, she would let us in and take care of him."_

 _Deneb carried Kurokuu around his shoulder as Mai said, "Sounds like a plan. But whatever you do, we can't run into your anyone we know. Got it?" All of Team RWBY nodded in unison as they rushed to the Milk Dipper._

* * *

 **Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time**

 **Chapter 20: I'm Born Part 2**

* * *

 _Meanwhile on the Den-Liner, the dining car is a complete mess as the White Fang soldiers are seen drinking, commending themselves of their victory._

 _But all is not well and good for the Den-Liner crew as Momotaros, Urataros, and Kintaros are trapped in a cage, unable to escape. Kintaros was sleeping as usual while Urataros remained calm. But Momotaros was acting like a caged dog._ " _ **Damn it… taking hostages is cowardly!"**_ _Momotaros exclaimed._ " _ **When I get out of here, you're all screwed!"**_

 _As Momotaros continues looking around for an escape, Urataros just stood there and said_ _ **, "We went straight into their net. They were waiting to trap us."**_

" _ **This ain't funny! Move!"**_ _Momotaros said as he pushes Urataros aside. He looks at Ryutaros, who was drawing, and shouts_ _ **, "Oi! Ryuta! Open up! This ain't the time for drawing!"**_

" _ **But Gaoh said he would show me something interesting. Let's leave it like this, okay?"**_ _Ryutaros replied as he showed them a picture of them being trapped while Ryutaros is prancing around the cage._

 _Momotaros and Urataros stared at the drawing as Urataros said_ _ **, "They completely read his personality."**_

 _The Owner is seen sitting at his usual spot with Doctor Oobleck and Zwei as he calls out, "Naomi, the usual please."_

" _Also, I would like coffee please with ten cubes of sugar!" Doctor Oobleck said as Zwei barked once. "And some meat for the canine as well!"_

" _Hai." Naomi said as she picked up some empty glasses off the table._

 _This angered Momotaros as he said_ _ **, "Old man! Slime-haired bastard! Is this really the time to be eating and drinking?! Do something about them!"**_ _Momotaros then punches the cage, which gave him a sudden electric shock._

 _Momotaros fell on the ground as Doctor Oobleck said, "My friend, at this moment, we can't do anything. We're surrounded by White Fang soldiers and Imagins and you still can't find a way to escape, all we could do now is watch it all unfold."_

" _ **Seriously?!"**_ _Momotaros said as he scratched his head frustratingly._

" _Yes, that's right." Everyone turned their heads as they see Gaoh enter the room._

 _He slowly walks towards The Owner and Doctor Oobleck as he said, "My plans have been set into motion. All you can do now is watch as I destroy all of time." Gaoh stood over The Owner and Doctor Oobleck, staring down at them as he said, "There's something I want you to give me."_

" _What is that?" The Owner asked._

" _Don't play dumb with me. I want your Master Pass." Gaoh said before showing him the Infinity Ticket. "I want to use this."_

 _Naomi sets down The Owner's and Doctor Oobleck's order as The Owner said, "I've known your intentions for quite awhile now. And if you think I'll give you my pass, you're wrong."_

 _Gaoh smirked and said, "Who said I was asking you?" Then, a White Fang soldier grabbed The Owner's arms while an imagin pulled Doctor Oobleck out of his seat and grabbed the Master Pass out of his coat. Zwei started barking loudly as Gaoh took the Master Pass and slipped the Infinity Ticket in. Gaoh showed off his pass and said to The Owner and Doctor Oobleck, "Let's enjoy this journey together."_

 _He was about to walk into the engine room until he saw the mound of fried rice on the table. Gaoh scooped it up and shoved it in his mouth before walking away from them. The White Fang soldiers went back to doing their business as Momotaros growled and said_ _ **, "I swear. Once I get my hands on him, I'll kill him!"**_ _He sat back down and began focusing on trying to find Kurokuu's aura._

 _Doctor Oobleck got up and picked Zwei off the ground as he asked, "If I may ask, what does this Master Pass and ticket he had will do?"_

 _The Owner stared at the fried rice and said, "What he has in his possession will become the key to our demise."_

* * *

 _Team RWBY and MSKD had arrived at the Milk Dipper, but they run into a small situation. Yang walked up to the door and saw that it was chained and locked up. "We have a problem. We can't get inside." Yang notified everyone._

 _Shuichi decided to check the door out himself and saw the lock. "She's right. Do any of you guys know how to pick open a lock?" Shuichi asked._

 _Blake had her hand up as she walked towards the door. She then pulled out a paper clip from her pocket and inserted it inside the lock. After several attempts, the lock opens up, allowing them to remove the chains off the door._

" _Since when did you know how to open locks?" Yang asked with a raised eyebrow._

" _Yang, I've been in the White Fang for a long time, you're bound to know a few things about picking locks." Blake said as she opens the door._

 _They all enter inside as they examine the condition of the place. The interior of the Milk Dipper was empty except for some boxes, stacks of books, and dusty furniture lying around._

 _Yang blew some dust off the table, which caused her to cough a little. She waved the dust away from her face as she said, "Well, this place has seen better days."_

 _Ruby looked around for a bit as she suggested, "We should head upstairs for the night. After everything we been through, some rest may do some good."_

" _Sounds good. I haven't had a good sleep since this trip started." Yang said as she headed upstairs first. Everyone else followed her as they went upstairs to Kurokuu's room._

 _As expected, the room was completely empty, say for some dust and cobwebs. "You know, I think I'll sleep downstairs." Yang said as she was ready to walk out, but Blake stopped her from leaving._

 _Deneb laid Kurokuu down on the ground as Mai asked, "How is he?"_

" _ **Not good."**_ _Deneb replied._

" _What do you mean by that?" Weiss asked worryingly._

" _ **I mean that the injury he sustained is serious. His aura reserves were already low from all the fighting we did. So when Gaoh kicked Kurokuu in the face, his aura wasn't strong enough to protect his head when he fell."**_

 _Everyone's eyes immediately went on Kurokuu as Shuichi said, "So you're saying…"_

" _ **Yes. There is a probability that Kurokuu could lose some memories when he wakes up."**_

 _Everyone remained silent until Mai asked, "What're the chances of him not getting amnesia?"_

 _Deneb sighed and said_ _ **, "I don't know. We'll just have to wait and see."**_

" _Alright then, let's get settled in for the night. And we'll chase after Gaoh later." Mai said as she set her quiver and bow against the wall._

 _Everyone began settling in for the night, except for Weiss. She stared at Kurokuu silently before turning away and sleeping on her side. "Please be okay." Weiss muttered to herself before closing her eyes._

* * *

 _?'s POV_

It is a hot summer morning as I rode my bike to the Milk Dipper. The sun shined down on me as sweat poured off my face. I pedaled faster and faster until I saw the sign outside. I hit the brakes hard before stepping off the bike and leaning it against the wall.

I walked over to the sign and wiped the dust and sand off, revealing the cafe's name. You know, Grandma and Grandpa would probably kill me for disappearing in the morning just to be here, but I can't help it. This place. This cafe. It's the last thing I could remember them by. The only thing I have to feel somehow connected to them.

I took a deep breath before walking towards the door and pulling out the key. But strangely, the chains aren't wrapped around the door and the lock is already opened. My hearts started beating faster as I thought about one possible outcome. Someone broke in.

Shoot! What do I do?! I don't have a scroll to call them and getting to the police will take too long! I stepped away from the door and took a breather. Relax, maybe I just forgot to lock it yesterday. There's probably no one inside.

I worked up the courage to walk up to the door. I place my hand on the handle and slowly open the door. I peeked my head inside and saw that the room was completely empty as usual.

Okay, so far so good. I just need to check upstairs now. I slowly crept up the stairs until I saw my room, but he door was closed instead of opened. My heart started beating louder as I laid my hand on the door knob. I slowly opened the door and saw a group of people sleeping, but that's not the freakiest part.

In the corner, there is some kind of monster sleeping loudly. I started to freeze in place as I just kept on staring. Come on, body! Move! I slowly started stepping back until I accidentally knocked over a pile of boxes behind me.

* * *

 _Kurokuu's POV_

Ow...my head hurts. What happened to me? My eyes remained closed as I began rubbing my head, searching for the source of the pain. I rubbed my head until I felt pain coming from behind. Huh, I wonder where and how I got this bruise from? But that's not the strange thing. My room seems to feel more stuffier than usual. I slowly opened my eyes as I finally figured why the room is so stuffy. I'm sleeping with some random strangers.

Most of them seemed to be around my age, except for the guy in the green sweater. But then, I looked in the corner and saw some kind of green monster! I started to panic as I quickly stood back up and screamed at the top of my lungs. I hear someone screaming with me as I look down the hall and saw some kid there. He has a slight tanned complexion with black, shaggy hair and dark brown eyes.

We both stared at each other while screaming as everyone else around us woke up in confusion. One girl with blonde hair stood up and shouted while waving her hands around, "What the hell is even going on?!"

"Everyone! Let's just calm down!" A girl wearing a red hood shouted.

The kid and I stopped shouting. The guy in the green sweater scratched his head and said, "Why do we have to start off the morning like this?"

The green monster thing stood up and asked me **, "Kurokuu, are you okay?"**

I stood there silently for some reason, I couldn't get a word out. Then a girl with white hair looked over to the kid and asked, "You there. Who are you?"

The kid was in shock like I was. The girl with black hair walked over to a girl with a white hood and asked, "Mai. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

The girl in the white hood, now named Mai, said, "Yeah. But I need to be sure." She slowly walked up to the kid and coaxed him by saying, "Hey there, we won't hurt you." The kid slowly calmed down as he let his shoulders drop. "If I may ask, what is your name?"

The kid gulped loudly before replying, "My name... is Kurokuu Akarui." My eyes widen as he mentioned his name. It's exactly like my name! And he looks like me as well!

"I knew it. This is Kurokuu when he's ten years old." The girl with black hair said.

I stared at... me in shock. How could this happen? How in the world am I meeting my past self? I must be going crazy! Maybe they're just toying with me! "Kurokuu, are you okay?" I look over and saw a girl with white hair next to me. "You seem shocked."

I moved away from her and started sputtering out questions at them. "Okay, what the hell is going on?! What did you do to me? Why am I here?! Who are you people?! And what do you mean by that kid being me?!"

They all stared at me as the girl with white hair asked with a shaky voice, "You…you don't remember?"

"Remember what? What am I supposed to remember? Could someone please tell me what's going on?!" I asked, desperate for some kind of answer.

* * *

 _Momotaros focused on searching for Kurokuu's aura as he stared out the window. He opened his eyes and shouted_ _ **, "Found him! Kame! Kuma! Now!"**_ _With all their might, Urataros and Kintaros pushed Momotaros through the wall, allowing him to escape. The White Fang soldiers and Imagins stared in shock and fear, worrying about what'll happen next._

* * *

Suddenly, I felt this presence enter inside me for a moment before it quickly passed. Then I felt another one enter inside me, but this presence stayed within me this time. I was thrusted into a white void with no sign escape. I panicked and shouted, "Hey! What's going on?! Let me out!" I heard no response. All I could do now is just watch what's happening around me.

I looked at the "past" me and saw a difference in his appearance. His hair was spiked up and had a red streak going through it. His eyes changed from dark brown to red. He got into some kind of pose and said with a completely different voice **, "Ore… sanjou!"** The past me looked down at himself and screamed **, "EHHH! WHAT HAPPENED?!"**

The girl in the red hood said, "Momotaros! You're possessing the young Kurokuu!"

" **Young?!"** He walked over to me and said **, "Hey, Kurokuu!"**

I was about to scream, but I couldn't. It's like I wasn't in control of my body. Just what is even going on anymore? The presence in my body made me stand up as he said **, "Advent."**

"Sieg!" The girl in white hair exclaimed.

" **My beautiful princess, it has been too long."** The presence, now named Sieg, said as he was going in for a hug, only to get a slap in the face by her.

The blonde girl didn't seem too keen on seeing Sieg as she asked angrily, "What're you doing here?!"

" **Why? Because you all came to visit me."** Sieg replied. Oh boy, he's one of those people.

The possessed past me growled and said **, "You! Sieg!"** He was ready to charge at Sieg, but the guy in the green sweater grabbed him by the back of his shirt, preventing him for attacking.

The girl in the white hood looked at Sieg and said, "I remember! We left you here ten years in the past. So it would make sense that you're here, but why are you here now at of all times?"

" **The world revolves around me."** Sieg simply replied before pushing her aside and facing the girl with white hair. " **Now, princess, let us celebrate this reunion!"** He looked over to the possessed past me and said **, "Momotaros, please make us some coffee."**

The presence in the past me, now named Momotaros, slowly turns towards Sieg and shouted **, "I ain't making coffee for you, you chicken wing bastard!"** He charged straight towards Sieg, but he simply stopped Momotaros by keeping him at a distance with his arm.

The green monster split them up and said **, "Momotaros, Sieg, please stop fighting. Kurokuu is in a bad condition at the moment. Could you please leave his body?"** Bad condition? Is he talking about the bruise I have on my head? But Momotaros didn't listen as he kept on trying to attack Sieg. The blonde girl groaned as she looked around the room and grabbed a rolled up newspaper. She walked toward Momotaros and pulled him away from Sieg. And with one strike, she knocked Momotaros out of the past me. Sand spilled out of him as it formed into some demon looking monster. She then did the same with Sieg, knocking him out of me. Sand spilled out of me as well as it formed into a swan like monster.

" **What're you doing?!"** Momotaros and Sieg said at the same time.

The blonde girl handed the roll of newspaper to the girl with the white hood and said, "Consider the situation handled."

The guy in the green sweater walked up to me and the past me and said, "You guys alright?" We both nodded our heads yes. "I think we need to talk."

* * *

 _Back on the Den-Liner, Gaoh entered the dining car and noticed a certain red imagin that disappeared. He grabbed one of the imagins and asked, "What happened?"_

" _ **The red imagin escaped somehow, Sir!"**_ _The imagin shouted in fear._

 _Gaoh started at him intensely before smirking. "It doesn't matter. He can't stop us. But…" Suddenly, Gaoh thrusts his arm into the imagin's stomach, causing sand to spill out. The imagin stared at Gaoh in shock and fear as he said, "... I don't tolerate failure."_

 _Then the imagin's aura glowed orange as Gaoh sapped all the aura out of him. He pulled his hand out, letting more sand spill to the floor. He collapsed to the ground as he reached his hand out to Gaoh and muttered_ _ **, "Not… like… this…"**_ _Then the imagin's body has been reduced to a pile of sand._

 _Gaoh rubbed his neck and said, "Anymore failures that occur, you'll get a fate worse than death." He then proceeded to exit the dining car, leaving behind a group of fearful soldiers and Imagins._

 _Doctor Oobleck watched in fascination as he said, "Intriguing. A semblance that drains a user's aura. He's a very dangerous individual."_

" _Indeed. All we can do is wait for your students to stop him." The Owner said as he took a bite of pudding._

* * *

 _Gaoh entered the engine room and slipped the Infinity Ticket into the Master Pass. He hopped into the bike and inserted the pass, setting their destination to ∞/∞/∞._

 _The Den-Liner cried loudly as another set of train tracks appeared, but instead of the standard issue ones, the tracks are pure white and it has torches along the sides. The Den-Liner switched lines as it started moving upward to a portal, leading them closer to the Gaoh-Liner._

* * *

Past me and I sat quietly as we processed the information given to us. And holy cow, this is a lot to take in. Imagins. Den-O. Time traveling train. Being a huntsman. How could my life get any more complicated? I managed to learn everyone's name, so talking to them shouldn't be much of a problem anymore.

The girl in the red hood, now named Ruby, looked at me and asked, "So, you really don't remember any of us?"

"Yeah.." I answered nervously.

" **Seriously?!"** Momotaros asked while scratching his head. I only nodded yes in response.

"Do you remember him?" The girl in the white hood, now named Mai, asked as he pointed at the guy in the green sweater, now named Shuichi.

I shook my head no. "Sorry, I don't remember anyone here. Well, except you, past me. Sorry if I scared you."

Past me only smiled and said, "It's fine. Besides, Being able to travel through time is something I always wondered after seeing Back to the Future! That's awesome!"

I smiled at my younger self before looking at everyone's reaction as their expression varied. But the one that made me feel bad was the girl with white hair, Weiss. She looked very crestfallen, maybe because of me not remembering her. Is there something between me and her?

"I see." The girl with black hair, now named Blake said. "If he doesn't remember Shuichi, then he must've lost several years worth of years." Several years? How bad is my amnesia?!

I scratched my head nervously and asked, "So… is this permanent?"

"Hopefully not." Shuichi answered. "But for now, we gotta get going. We wasted too much time and Gaoh could already be at the location." Shuichi stood up from his chair and walked towards the door. He opened it up, revealing a desert with a rainbow sky and a green, locomotive train with a bull motif.

My younger self and I stared in awe as everyone began making their way towards the desert. Ruby looked back and said, "You guys coming on?"

"Yeah! Come on, older me! Let's go!" My younger self shouted as he ran towards the train. I took a deep breath before entering inside with them.

We all boarded on as the green train began to take off. We all sat quietly in the dining car as Shuichi and everyone else are discussing what to do. "How are we supposed to find the Den-Liner? They could be anywhere." Blake asked.

"Do you think they already went to go after the Gaoh-Liner already?" Yang asked.

"Most likely. For now, I'll do a bird's eye view search. Once we see the Den-Liner or the God's Line, then we follow them. So hold on tight!" Shuichi said as he took out a belt and wrapped it around his waist. He then went into the engine room, doing what he said he'd do.

My younger self and I sat a spot while everyone else sat at theirs. Suddenly, the train started to pick up speed as the whole car began to violently shake. The shakiness knocked all of us off our feet as me and my younger self fell to the ground.

"Everyone, hang on!" Mai shouted as she and everyone else fell on the ground.

"Hold on, Sis!" Yang shouted as she held on to Ruby.

" **Oh my Oum!"** Momotaros shouted as he fell on the ground before several loose tables crashed into him. " **OW!"** The only person who managed to stay in his seat was Sieg, who sat quietly. Deneb had drinks in his hands as he accidentally fell over and spilled the drinks all over Momotaros. " **OI, ODEBU! WATCH IT!"**

" **I'm sorry, Momotaros!"** Deneb apologized as he clung onto him for support.

" **GET OFF ME!"** Momotaros shouted as he tried kicking Deneb away.

Mai rushed towards to my younger self and said, "Kurokuu! Hold on!" She held my younger self down, protecting him from any harm.

Sadly, I'm the only one who doesn't have anything to hang on to, so I just began crashing into things in the dining car. I kept on crashing into tables, chairs, and walls as the shakiness kept going on and on. Just as I thought things couldn't get any worse, I felt the train flip over as we were all tossed towards the ceiling.

I screamed at the top of my lungs as I felt gravity pull the train back down. Then train landed as we all crashed back down to the ground. I groaned in pain as I asked, "Is it… over?"

Everyone was getting back up until the dining car started violently shaking again, but this time is different. Yang stood at the entrance to the caboose and shouted, "Guys! We have company!"

We all rushed towards the entrance and saw a bullet train coming at us. I looked a little closer until I saw it fire off missiles. "Everyone brace yourselves!" I shouted as we all got low to the ground.

The missiles blasted the train, launching us high in the sky. We were tossed towards the ceiling as the train kept on spinning around in the air. Then the train flew into a random portal, sending us to Oum knows where next.

We kept on spinning and spinning until the train exited the portal and crash landed into a random time period. I laid there silently as the sounds around me begin to fade out. The last thing I saw was Mai and everyone else unconscious as well. With all my strength, I tried to reach out to them, but I couldn't stay awake any longer.

* * *

 _Shuichi, already in his Zeronos armor, laid on the ground as he struggled to get back up. He used his sword as a crutch and picked himself back up on his feet. He turned around to the wrecked Zero-Liner, fearing the worse. "Ruby! Mai! Hold on!" Shuichi shouted as he limped towards the train. But the cries of the Den-Liner stopped him from moving any further as he looked up and saw the Den-Liner entering this time period._

 _The Den-Liner landed as Gaoh stepped off the train, meeting face to face with Shuichi. Gaoh tossed the Master Pass around as he said, "I can't let you get in my way, so I'll make this quick."_

" _Like hell you'll kill me. I'm putting an end to this now!" Shuichi shouted as he pointed his sword at him._

" _Tsk. Tsk. Tsk." Gaoh said while moving his index finger side to side. "You hero types are always the same. It's about time I put you in your place, boy." Just as he said that, a belt appeared around his waist. The belt strap is completely black and there's only one silver button on the belt. The Den-O logo is decorated with a fang like design around it with a vein design on the logo. He pressed the button, which played an organ tune. "Henshin." Gaoh said as he tossed the Master Pass in the air. The Master Pass levitates in front of the belt as it called out._

 _ **GAOH FORM**_

 _His armor materialized and the suit itself is similar to Den-O, but the key difference is that the armor was colored bronze and a dark shade of orange. Then bronze pieces of armor appeared and combined with the suit as the faceplate appeared, resembling the jaws of a crocodile, and attached with helmet, completing the transformation. The Gaoh armor had a crocodile motif to it as the armor has a teeth design running down the chest plate, shoulder armor, and across the faceplate. It also has two large fangs protruding out of the armor._

 _Gaoh cracked his neck before slowly approaching Shuichi while combining his sword. Shuichi took the advantage of Gaoh and attacked first, but Gaoh managed to create his sword in time and parried the incoming attack. With Shuichi caught off guard, Gaoh went in for a thrust, knocking Shuichi back. Gaoh then slashed Shuichi across the chest before kicking him in the stomach._

 _Gaoh went in for another slash, but Shuichi managed to deflect the attack and slashed him across the chest. But it was rendered useless as he powered through and slashed Shuichi across the chest relentlessly._

 _Shuichi stumbled back as Gaoh's right foot glowed bright orange. He then back kicked Shuichi into the Zero-Liner. Gaoh rested his sword against his shoulder as he grabbed Shuichi by the neck and said, "How disappointing. You're not worthy to die by my hands." Then Shuichi started glowing green as his aura is being sapped out by Gaoh. He shouted in pain until Gaoh pushed him away. Gaoh smirked as he walked away from Shuichi and said, "Goodbye, Zeronos. Wander in time eternally."_

 _Then the second car of the Den-Liner opened, revealing a missile launcher in the shape of a dog's head. Two missiles were already loaded as it fired at Shuichi and the Zero-Liner, sending them flying into the sky and through the portal._

* * *

Ow… Will this happen every time I wake up? I slowly open my eyes and saw that I'm still inside the dining car, but it was flipped on its side. Man, what the heck happened to the train? I looked around and saw some kind of stopwatch a few inches away from me. Curious, I picked it up before getting back up on my feet. I stared at the watch for a bit before flipping to the back, where it had a quote on it. The stopwatch read, "The past should give us hope." Strange, I wonder what it means?

I looked around and noticed that everyone is still unconscious, except for one, my younger self. I walked up to him and said, "Hey, you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"

He looked visibly afraid as he pointed outside. "They're here." My younger self said. I didn't understand what he meant until I took a look outside myself and saw something jaw dropping. We're on some kind of island. An island inhabited by the creatures of Grimm. I see several giant nevermore fly through the sky and a herd of goliaths taking a bath at the water hole.

"Woah…" I muttered silently. My knees started shaking a little as I slowly enter back into the dining car. Okay, we are stranded in Oum knows where on an island filled with Grimm. Crap, we are so screwed! What do I do?!

As I was trying to calm myself down, I saw my younger self bunched up in the corner. He's afraid of the Grimm like me. What should I do? Everyone is unconscious, what could I do? I looked at my younger self once more before coming to a realization. I slapped myself in the face and muttered quietly, "Get it together! You have to stay strong for his sake and everyone else." I walked up to my younger self and said, "Kurokuu, look at me."

He looked up at me and said, "I'm… scared…"

I placed my hands on his shoulders and said, "I know. I am too. But right now, everyone is out cold. For their sake, we have to stay strong and get them to safety. Do you understand?" My younger self nodded yes. "Good. I need your help."

"What is it?" He asked.

"We gotta get everyone off the train. And whatever you do, you cannot be afraid. Got it?" My younger self nodded yes. "Okay! Let's get everyone out of here." We both got to work as we began dragging everyone out of the wrecked train. One by one, we got everyone out of the train until I noticed one person missing, Shuichi. Where is he?

We stood over them as my younger self asked, "So what now?"

"I don't know." I replied. "I guess for now I'll go get some wood for fire. It's about to get dark soon."

"So, what should I do?"

I stood quietly as I ponder about what we need. I looked back at him and shouted, "I need you to get some fish!"

"How?! I don't have a fishing rod!"

I was about about to say something until I heard movement coming from behind. I turned around as we both stared at the forest. Footsteps starting getting louder and louder until we saw someone we recognize, Shuichi!

"Shuichi!" We both shouted as we rushed to his aid. Shuichi is in a very bad condition. He has slash wounds across his chest, blood coming out of his mouth, and he sprained his leg.

"Kurokuu…"

"What happened to you?!" My younger self asked worryingly.

"Gaoh… he did all this.." Shuichi muttered before his leg gave way.

We luckily caught him in time as I said, "Shuichi, you need to rest. Once your aura is filled up again, those wounds can heal."

"We can't… wait… now. Gaoh is already… on his way…"

"Please, you need some rest. We can't stop them if you're hurt." My younger self pleaded.

Shuichi stared at him until he sighed and said, "Alright. I'll rest." My younger self smiled brightly. "But tomorrow, we gotta somehow get the Zero-Liner up right and we gotta go immediately after him."

"Don't worry, we'll get it back up soon." I reassured.

I began walking towards the forest until I hear my younger self shouting, "WAIT! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO CATCH FISH?!"

"Do it the ol' Vacuan way! By hand!" I shouted as I began walking to the forest. "I'll be back in a few minutes. If anything happens, call me! I won't go too far!"

"Okay!" I hear him shout back.

I proceeded to walk further into the forest on a search for some wood. I looked around and picked up a few off the ground. But at a closer inspection, the wood is too wet to make a fire with. "Damn." I hissed as I dropped the stick back on the ground. I looked around a little more until I looked at a random tree. Maybe I could take some of the branches down?

I sighed before spitting on my hands and rubbing them together. Sometimes, you have to go through a lot of things to survive. I took off my jacket and rolled my sleeves up as I began climbing up the tree. I hugged the tree tightly as I continued moving upwards until I reached to where the branches are.

I let go of my left arm and grabbed onto the branch. I shook it a little to make sure it was secure before letting go of the trunk and hanging on the branch. I swung my legs up for momentum to lift myself up. From there, I looked around and began picking the twigs to use as fuel for the fire. As I picked off another twig, I saw a large branch that I could use, but it was a little out of my reach.

I began pondering if I should bother getting that branch. I have plenty already, but what's wrong with one more, right? I dropped all the sticks and twigs in the ground before slowly making my way towards the branch in front of me. All was going well until I heard crackling noises from the branch I'm sitting on. I stood still completely still, hoping that the branch won't break. The sound of the crackling stopped, which made me feel reassured, but I should still be careful.

I slowly reached my arm out, trying to get some sort of grip on the branch. But then, the sounds of the branch cracking caught my attention again as I look down and saw that it was about to give way. I couldn't move from where I am so the only thing I could do is shout, "HOLY CRAP!"

The branch gave way as I plummeted back to the ground. And I didn't have a very soft landing as the sticks I dropped poked me hard in the back. I groaned in pain as I slowly got up and checked myself to make sure that I was okay. Luckily, I didn't have anything serious, so that's a relief. I think that's enough branches and twigs for me. I should probably get back to my younger self before he worries.

I picked up all the branches and twigs that I collected and began making my way back. But as I began making my way back, I started hearing howling in the distance. I looked back and saw nothing there. Alright, Kurokuu. Just keep going. I was ready to turn around and walk back to camp until I heard something move in the bushes. I quickly turned to the bush and saw that there was nothing there.

What the heck is going on? Then the sound of growling filled my ears as I see a pair of red eyes in the distance. I froze in fear as I hear more growling coming from behind. I slowly turn my head around and saw two beowolves behind me. They were staring at me hungrily as they had their tongue sticking out. I was about to book it until I faced back to the front and saw the beowolf from before make its move.

* * *

 _Weiss groaned in her sleep until she finally opened her eyes. She groaned in pain as she sat back up and looked at her surroundings. Weiss noticed that the Zero-Liner was flipped on its side and everyone was asleep except for one person, the young Kurokuu. He was seen standing in the lake with a sharp stick in his hands, trying to spear the fish in the water._

 _Weiss got up and walked up to him and asked, "Kurokuu? What're you doing? What happened?"_

 _Kurokuu did a silent gesture as he scans the water for any fishes swimming by. He sees one on his right and immediately spears the fish. The young Kurokuu pulls it out of the water as he responded, "Well, we crash landed far back into the past. Seems like we're now on a Grimm island."_

" _A Grimm island?!"_

" _Shh!" Kurokuu hushed Weiss. "Not so loud. Anyways, the train was flipped over and older Kurokuu and I had to drag you guys out. After doing so, we found Shuichi, who was really hurt, and he needed to rest." He then pointed at Shuichi, who was sleeping against the Zero-Liner._

" _Okay. Speaking of which, where's Kurokuu?" Weiss asked. "I don't see him anywhere."_

" _Oh, he went out to get some wood for fire. And he told me to catch some fish for food."_

 _Weiss' eyes widen as she shouts, "BY HIMSELF?! HE'S GOING ALONE IN A GRIMM INFESTED FOREST?!" The young Kurokuu shrunk at the tone of her voice. "I gotta go find him!" She rushes towards Team RWBY, Mai, Momotaros, and Sieg and began shaking them awake. "Guys! Wake up!"_

 _Ruby, Blake, Yang, and Mai all started waking up from their slumber as Momotaros groaned and said,_ " _ **Oi, oi, I'm trying to sleep!"**_

" _That doesn't matter right now, we have a problem! Kurokuu went off in the forest filled with Grimms!"_

" _ **What?!"**_ _Momotaros shouted._

 _They all got up on their feet as Ruby stared at Momotaros and Sieg in shock. "Momotaros! Sieg! You're not in your sand form!" Ruby said as she pouted at both of them._

 _Momotaros looked confused until he looked in the water._ " _ **Ehhh! How did this happen?!"**_

" _His memory." Blake said. "Since he doesn't remember who you two are, the bond between you two is severed."_

 _Sieg had his hands behind his back and said_ _ **, "I for one, don't mind this at all. I could freely move around without requiring a body."**_

" _Guys, now is not the time to talk about this. We need to get to Kurokuu before he runs into any danger." Mai said._

 _Ruby picked up her weapon off the ground and said, "Well, we should hurry! We don't have much time!" Everyone began preparing themselves before they all charged into the Grimm Forest._

* * *

The beowolf pounced on me, knocking me down to the ground. I had the large branch as a weapon to protect myself as I tried to push the beowolf off of me. I quickly panicked as I see the other two beowolves joining in. I placed my right leg in between the beowolf's legs and threw it off of me. I quickly got back up as the beowolves regrouped and surrounded me. They growled angrily as they circle around me, waiting for me to make my first move.

"Stay back!" I shouted as I swung my weapon around. But they showed no sign of fear as one of the latched onto the branch with their jaw. It tried to yank my weapon away, but I showed no intention of letting go of my weapon. But that left me wide open as one of the beowolves pounced and knocked me to the ground. I held the beowolf by the neck as I try to prevent the beowolf from biting my jugular.

But slowly, I felt my strength getting weaker as the beowolf slowly inched towards me. This is the end for me, isn't it? Died by becoming a beowolf's meal. I closed my eyes, ready to face the inevitable until I hear someone calling my name. "KUROKUU!" I look up and see Weiss along with Mai and everyone else rushing towards me.

Some type of glyph appeared under her feet as she zoomed towards me and skewered the beowolf off of me. The other two turned towards Mai and the rest as Momotaros and Sieg charged in and decapitated them. Their bodies dropped to the ground as they slowly started to disintegrate. I breathed heavily as I tried to calm down.

Momotaros held his hand and out as he said **, "Oi, Kurokuu. You alright?"**

"Yeah. I'm okay thanks to you guys." I said as I accepted his hand.

Momotaros helped me up as I see Weiss walking towards me with anger in her eyes. I took one step back as Weiss stood in front of me and smacked me in the face. The sound of the slap resonated throughout the forest as I felt a burning stinging pain on my right cheek.

" **OI, ICE QUEEN! WHAT WAS THAT ALL ABOUT?!"** Momotaros shouted.

I looked at her in shock as she said, "YOU IDIOT! WHY DID YOU GO OFF ON YOUR OWN LIKE THAT?!" I shrunk at the tone of her voice. "WERE YOU TRYING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED? DO YOU EVEN CARE ABOUT YOUR OWN SAFETY?!" I still kept quiet since I didn't know what to say because she was right for the most part. I was being reckless. "YOU… YOU DOLT!" Weiss shouted before walking away.

As she walked further away, I felt a sense of guilt for what I've done and now, she's angry at me. I see Mai, Yang, Blake, Ruby, and Sieg approaching me as Yang said, "Don't take it personally. Ice Queen is just like that." Sadly, that didn't make me feel any better. I responded with a nod saying okay.

Momotaros placed his hand on my shoulder and said **, "Come on, let's get back."** I nodded yes as I picked up my jacket and all the sticks with the help of Yang and Blake.

The walk back to the camp was quiet. I didn't dare look at Weiss, so I wouldn't have to face her cold glares. Once we arrived back at the camp, I see my younger self and Deneb marinating the fish. Deneb waved at us excitedly and said **, "Guys! You're back! Young Kurokuu told me where you ran off to. How are you?"**

Weiss didn't say a word as she just walked passed him and sat against the Zero-Liner. My younger self walked up to me and said, "I managed to catch some fish."

I put on my best smile and said, "That's good to hear. I got the wood, so let start cooking."

Yang rubbed her belly and said, "Finally! I haven't eaten anything at all today."

Deneb grabbed the sticks and branches out of our hands and said **, "I'll start cooking the fish. Could you wake Shuichi up? He needs to eat."**

"Okay!" Ruby nodded as she walked over to Shuichi to wake him up.

Deneb got the fire going as me and my younger self huddled around it. Sadly, no one else joined us as everyone was off doing their own thing. I look over to my younger self, who shivering in the cold. I took off my jacket and handed it off to him. "Here, take it. You look cold." I said.

"Thanks." My younger self said as he took the jacket out of my hands and put it on. Since I'm much older, my jacket looked a little big on him, but at least he'll be warm.

"Hey, I'm sorry I dragged you into all of this." I apologized.

He shook his head no while having a smile on his face. "It's fine. Actually, this is an awesome experience. Time travel. This is something I don't want to forget."

I smiled at him until I heard footsteps coming from behind. We both turned around and saw Momotaros walking towards us. He sat next to me and asked **, "Oi, Kurokuu. You alright? Ice Queen over there gave you a hell of a slap."**

"I'm fine." I responded. "I'm just wondering about her. Was she always like that with me?"

Momotaros did a short laugh and said **, "Not even close. Funny thing is that Ice Queen is only nice when she's around you or her team."**

"Weiss.. Being nice?" I questioned. I mean, she could have a soft spot. But I'm not so sure about her.

" **You should go talk to her, Kurokuu."** Momotaros suggested.

"Why? What if she's still mad at me?"

" **She won't. Ice Queen can't stay mad at you. Besides, she might help you remember."** Momotaros said as he patted my back. He stood back up and walked towards the lake, where he is seen skipping stones.

I stared at Momotaros as all I could think about is my missing memories. "Why can't I seem to remember anything?" I asked myself.

"Did you… forget about them?" My younger self asked.

I stared at him confusingly as I tried to understand what he meant. Then it hit me. "Do you mean our mom and dad?" I asked. He looked genuinely surprised that I remembered. "Don't worry, I remember. I'm you so I know everything except recently." I stared at the fire and continued. "It's a shame that our time with mom and dad was so short. I could remember how we used to go to the cafe often. Not much for nostalgia, but a way for us to remember them. Like what they sounded like."

He pulled his legs close to his chest and said, "It's because I lost the photo."

I placed my hand on his shoulder and said, "Yeah. It's because we always carried it around. To this day, I still regret losing it. It made Kasumi cry so much."

"Were you able to remember mom and dad?"

I stayed quiet for a moment. Sadly, I still can't remember what they looked or sound like. I looked at him and answered, "No. But I managed to move on. I know for you right now, it's painful. But over time, you'll grow stronger bit a bit, every passing day."

My younger self stayed quiet for a moment as he processed the information. He smiled and said, "Thanks… Kurokuu."

I smiled before ruffling his hair. I'm the scent of fish filled the air as I hear Deneb shouting **, "Everyone! Fish is ready!"**

As soon as he said that, everyone quickly gathered around. Deneb then began passing out fish for everyone. We all said our thank you'd before chowing down. After we finish eating, Mai said, "While we were waiting, Yang and I were trying to figure out how to get the Zero-Liner back up. Obviously, Yang can't push the Zero-Liner over by herself or with our help. But, we have a plan."

Yang stood up and said, "Our plan is to use some goliaths, attach some chains we found onto them and the Zero-Liner, and have them pull it up right!"

We stared at them as we processed the idea. " **And how would you go about getting the of getting the chain on them?"** Sieg asked.

"We capture them and then we chain them up by their tusks." Yang suggested. "Then one of us will be bait and have the goliaths follow them, causing them to pull the Zero-Liner over."

"That sounds insane and dangerous." Weiss pointed out.

"Yeah, but what other choice do we have?" Ruby asked. "We're stranded here and we need to get to Gaoh before he gets his hands on the Gaoh-Liner."

Weiss sighed and admitted, "I guess. But who'll be the bait?"

"We can decide that tomorrow. But what do you think?" Yang asked.

"I guess that could work. There's no other way." Shuichi said.

"Then it's settled." Mai said. "Yang, Ruby, Blake, and I will capture two goliaths tomorrow morning and start our plans. Got it?" We all nodded yes. "Good. Now let's get some sleep. Who's taking first shift?"

"I will." Weiss said as she picked up her weapon and walked over to the river.

"Alright. Let's get some sleep." Shuichi said as he pulled out his sleeping bag. We all did the same as we huddled around the fire.

"G'night everyone!" My younger self said.

"Night, Kurokuu." Ruby said as we all tried to get some sleep tonight. I faced away from the fire and closed my eyes as I try to get some sleep tonight.

* * *

 _An Hour Later_

I tossed and turned as I tried to find a way to sleep, but I couldn't. All I could think about was what I'm forgetting. I want to remember, but it's not coming to me. I groaned silently before sitting back up. I run my hand through my hair as I look over to the lake and saw Weiss sitting quietly on a rock.

I stared at her quietly as I thought about Momotaros' words. Maybe I should go talk to her? I mustered up all the courage I have and made my way towards Weiss. She slowly turns towards me as I waved and said, "Hey, Weiss."

"Kurokuu? You couldn't sleep?" Weiss asked.

"No. I couldn't." I replied. "Do you mind if I sat next to you?"

"Not at all." Weiss said as she scoot over, allowing me to sit down. She looked down at the lake and said, "Hey, I just want to apologize for my outburst earlier. I didn't mean to go off like that."

Looks like Momotaros is right. She doesn't hate me, which made me feel reassured about her. I smiled and said, "It's okay. It was my fault to begin with. I'm sorry for making you worry so much."

"Apology accepted. Well, by now, you always seem to make us worry all the time."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Most of the time, you always seem to get in some sort of trouble."

"Like what?"

Weiss ponders for a moment. "Well, there's that time when you got into a fist fight with another student."

I raised my eyebrows at that statement. "I got into a fist fight?"

But she just ignored me and continued, "There's also that time when we got stuck in a hostage situation."

"We were in a hostage situation?!"

Weiss laughed at my reaction and said, "Yeah. We were stuck there for two days. And in the end, the police was actually arresting another hostage at a fast food place next door."

I laid down and placed my hands behind my head. "Sounds like we went through some crazy things."

"Yeah, at least you didn't change. Still the same old Kurokuu like the first time we met." Weiss said as she lightly punched my stomach.

I laughed softly until I noticed how quiet Weiss was. I sat back up and asked, "Weiss, is something wrong?"

Weiss made no eye contact with me as she said, "No… it's just… I know how selfish it sounds, but I really hope you get your memories back." She finally looked at me, eyes filled with sadness. "I really want you to remember. I want you to remember all the things we went through together. It pains me to be forgotten by the person I lo- care about. Especially when he changed my life for the better."

I felt immense guilt building inside me after seeing Weiss in some much pain. I never realized much pain I caused for everyone just by not remembering them. Being forgotten by a loved one is one of the worst feelings anyone can experience. I turned to Weiss and held her tightly. She froze at my sudden embrace as I said, "Weiss, I'm sorry for causing you all this pain. I'll try my best to remember, but please, don't be sad. I don't like seeing you sad."

Weiss clung onto me tightly as I felt her warm breath near my ear. That entire night, we sat together. Comforting each other with our embrace.

* * *

 _September 27, 1946_

 _Gaoh sat quietly in the room, eating a fish on a stick, along with four other White Fang lieutenants as they wait for someone to arrive. The door opened as a man entered the room. He has short brown hair with blue eyes and a scar across his left eye. He dons a tradition Vacuan shogun armor that is colored a dull yellow. He takes off his helmet and sat across from Gaoh._

 _He bowed his head down and said, "Good evening, Gaoh-dono. Preparations are going as according so we should be able to carry it out soon." Gaoh said nothing as he continued feasting on his meal. "At the peak of this war, will you fulfill our promise and lend us your strength to stop Mantle and Mistral?"_

 _Gaoh responded by throwing a stick at the shogun. The stick cut through the air like butter as it zoomed past the shogun and into the wall behind him. He froze in fear as Gaoh said, "Listen. I can easily wipe you all out myself. Remember?" He then showed off the belt to the shogun, instantly instilling fear in him._

" _I-I'm s-sorry! I said too much! Just please don't rampage here again." The shogun stuttered as he made no eye contact with him._

 _Gaoh grabbed another fish on a stick as he asked, "Do we have enough explosive to blow it open?"_

" _Y-yes, sir. We should be ready tomorrow morning."_

 _Gaoh smirked and said, "Good." He then took a bite out of his fish._

* * *

 _I feel… weightless. Almost as if I was floating in the air. I was surrounded in this dark void, not a single light in sight. Where am I? Suddenly, the whole place glowed bright white, blinding me for a few seconds._

 _The glowing white light died down as I'm surrounded by… memories? More specifically, mine. Each screen showed a different memory. One showed me and Weiss dancing together. Another one showed Mai unlocking my aura. These memories. They must be… the lost memories. I looked around a little more to see if there's anything relating to Momotaros, but strangely enough, there wasn't._

 _I can't seem to remember him. Why? I looked around a little more until I saw one at one with a man and Kasumi together, watching the stars. Strange, who is he? Then I looked at another and saw the same man again. But this time, he was setting up a Christmas tree up with me. Still, it doesn't show me who he is._

 _But then, I saw a memory that haunts me. In this memory, I see Kasumi standing in the water, staring at me with her tear stained face. Suddenly, I felt a strong sharp pain in my head. I gripped my head tightly, trying to endure all this pain. Finally, it stopped. But I stared at the man once more as I randomly muttered, "Shuichi… Nakamura.."_

 _That man. He's Shuichi? The guy who's with me? I watched the memory play out as it showed a boat floating in the water. On that boat, there was a stopwatch inside. A stopwatch? Where have I seen that stopwatch?_

 _Then it hit me. I reached inside my pocket and pulled out the same stopwatch in the memory. Suddenly, the whole void of turned completely dark as I plummet into darkness._

* * *

I slowly open my eyes as I tried to sit up, but I felt someone clinging onto me. Weiss. She had her arms wrapped around my left arm, preventing me from leaving.

As I stared at her, all I could think about now was how I could forget about someone like her. Or anyone for that fact. They changed my life in so many ways. But that just hurts me more that I can't seem to remember Momotaros. Still. Why?

Then the cries of a goliath caught my attention as Weiss slowly started to wake up. She groaned as she sat up and mumbled, "What's going on?"

I look over to the lake and saw vibrations running across the water. "Kurokuu, Weiss. What's going on?" My younger self asked, accompanied by Momotaros and Sieg.

" **It seems like the world can't let me rest."** Sieg said as he took of his sleeping mask.

Momotaros had his sleeping bag wrapped around him as he said **, "I think we all know where that's coming from."**

Then Deneb and Shuichi walked over to us as Deneb asked **, "Where's Mai, Ruby, Yang, and Blake?"**

Just as he said that, a red blur zoomed past and crashed into the lake. Ruby got up and shouted, "WILD GOLIATHS!"

Everyone got their weapons out as I stood in front of my younger self. The ground shook as two wild goliaths jump out of the forest, and Yang is seen riding on them.

"WOOHOO!" Yang shouted as she moved her arm around like a circular motion like a cowboy.

Mai and Blake exit the forest with torches in their hands. "Momotaros! Sieg! Direct them to the Zero-Liner!"

Momotaros and Sieg nodded as they stood in front of the goliaths and directed them towards the Zero-Liner. " **Oi! This way!"** Momotaros shouted.

The two goliaths were reluctant to move until Mai and Blake waved their torches around. This immediately got them moving as they walked towards the Zero-Liner.

"Yang! Chain them up now!" Mai shouted. Yang complied as she linked the chains up to the Zero-Liner and wrapped them around the goliaths' tusks. "Weiss! Create some glyphs across the lake!"

"On it!" Weiss shouted as she summoned a row of glyphs across the water.

"Blake! Let's do it!" Mai shouted as she waved the torch around. Blake did the same, which caused the goliaths to walk across the lake out of fear.

As the goliaths walk across the water, the Zero-Liner is slowly, but surely, getting pulled up right. "It's working!" My younger self shouted. "You guys can do it!"

Yang hopped off of the goliath and ran back to shore. Shuichi walked up to her and asked, "How'd you manage to get the goliaths?"

She brushed herself off and said, "Well, if Grimm Studies taught us anything, they're afraid of fire like any other animal."

"Yeah! And since most of the Grimm here didn't live that long, they're aren't as smart as they are in the future!" Ruby said.

"Hmph, looks like you actually paid attention in class for once." Weiss said as she rolled her eyes.

I sighed and said, "Weiss, you're lucky that Ruby remembers this. Without that knowledge, we'd probably have a harder time dealing with the goliaths." We kept on watching until the Zero-Liner finally stood up right, creating loud crashing noise when the wheels hit the ground.

Dirt and dust lingered in the air for a bit until it died down. "WE DID IT!" Ruby shouted as she hugged Weiss.

"Let go of me!" Weiss demanded as she pulled herself away from Ruby.

Blake grabs the chains and cuts them off, releasing the goliaths back into their habitat. She and Mai regrouped back with us as Mai said, "Well, plan is a success. But the question is where is Gaoh now?"

"I know where he is." Shuichi announced. "He's in 1946, that's where the Gaoh-Liner is hidden."

"1946? The height of the Great War? Why would it be there?" Weiss asked.

"The people who made the Gaoh-Liner placed it in a random time period so no one could find it, or attempt to find it. They described as a war between nations. And there's only one event in Remnant history that fits that description."

" **Then what're we waiting for? Let's get that bastard!"** Momotaros shouted. We all agreed as we quickly hopped onto the Zero-Liner.

We all waited in the dining car as Shuichi said, "Everyone ready up, we're heading into battle." We all nodded as Shuichi left the car to go to the engine room. We soon felt the Zero-Liner slowly take off as we headed for 1946.

* * *

 _September 28, 1946_

" _Get a move on already! I don't have all day!" Gaoh shouted as all of the White Fang and Vacuan were setting up the explosives._

 _Gaoh watched from a relatively safe distant as he bites on an apple. Then a Vacuan soldier approached him and said, "Sir, the charges are ready."_

" _Well, what're you waiting for? Start the-" Gaoh stops mid sentence as he looks up and sees a certain green train entering this time period. "Actually, delay the plan. We have some company."_

* * *

As we enter this time period, I gazed at the village down below. Man, everything looks so different in the past. I turned around to everyone in the room as I see them loading their weapons and preparing themselves. Then Shuichi entered the room and said, "Everyone let's go. We're gonna hop off in the forest."

We all stood up and walked towards the exit, including my younger self. Obviously, allowing my younger self to come was a bad idea, so I pulled him away and asked, "Hey, where are you going?"

"I'm coming with you guys." My younger self replied.

I sighed and said, "Look, I can't let you go out there. It's too dangerous for someone like you, you're too young."

"But, you're going out there too! You don't know how to fight!"

"I'll be fine. I can handle them on my own. But it's better for you if you stayed here. I don't want you getting hurt. Do you understand?"

He stayed silent for a moment until he replied with, "Okay…"

I smiled as I ruffled his hair and said, "Good."

" **Kurokuu! Are you coming?"** Deneb asked.

"I'll be right there!" I replied as I walked towards the exit. We all hopped off the Zero-Liner, landing in some sort of road in a forest. I looked around for a bit before asking, "Is this the place?"

"Yeah. The Gaoh-Liner is hidden in the mountains up there and Gaoh must've already set up base there." Shuichi replied. He looked around and asked, "Where's your past self?"

"I left him on the Zero-Liner. Thought it would be best if he stay there, just to be safe from what may happen next." I answered.

"I think you made a good call." Weiss said. "With that aside, how are we gonna stop Gaoh?"

Yang cracked her knuckles and said, "Well, we could always do it the ol' fashion way and do the breach and clear."

" **Now, I like the sound of that!"** Momotaros said as he twirled his sword around.

Sieg, on the other hand, protested and said **, "As if I take part in that savage behavior."**

" **What did you say, chicken wing?!"** Momotaros shouted as he grabbed Sieg by the shoulders and shook him around.

I got in between them and said, "Guys, it's not the time to fight, but I agree with Sieg here. What if they were expecting us to come? What if they already set up some traps to capture us?"

"As if we fall for some traps." Yang said as she crossed her arms.

Mai pulled out an arrow from her quiver and said, "But Kurokuu is right. I think the best course of action is to sneak our way in and attack from the inside."

Weiss checked her weapon and asked, "Okay, so the question now is how would we get insi-"

"Fan out and search for them!" As soon as we heard the voice, we immediately jumped into a nearby bush. Ruby, Shuichi, Mai, Deneb, and Sieg were hiding in a bush on the other side of the road while the rest of us are hiding on the other side. We stared through the bushes as we see a group of ten ninjas running down the road.

"Hey look, Blake. Ninjas!" Yang said as she held in her laughter. Blake simply glared at her, shutting her up.

As I see the ninjas running further away, we decided it was safe to leave our hiding spot. We all got up and stared down the road. "Phew! That was close!" Ruby said as she wiped the sweat off her forehead.

" **Well, looks like that bastard knows we're here."** Momotaros said as he brushed the dirt and branches off of him.

"Still. How do we infiltrate the base?" Weiss asked again.

We all stayed quiet as we pondered about the plan. If that Gaoh guy is already sending ninjas out to find us, they'll probably report back if they find nothing. Report back… That's it! "Guys! I have an idea!" I told everyone.

They all stared at me as Shuichi asked, "Well, out with it. What's the plan?" I huddled the group together as I explained the plan.

* * *

We hid in the bush for two hours as we wait for them to come back on this road. I looked from left to right, trying to see if they're coming any time soon. I hear Yang moving around to much as I said, "Shhh. We gotta be quiet or they'll hear us."

"Kurokuu, we've been out here for two hours. I don't think they'll be back anytime soon. We should've just gone with my plan and breach and clear." Yang said as she waved her hands around, trying to smack the flies around her.

"Yang, stop complaining." Weiss said.

"Of course, you'd take his side."

"Weiss, Yang. Let's just drop it, okay?" Blake whispered. We sat silently until Blake muttered, "I hear them."

"Where?" I ask.

"Yeah, they're getting closer." Blake replied.

"Alright. Weiss, you know what to do."

"On it." Weiss said as she pulled out her weapon. We see the ninjas running towards our direction as Weiss jumped out of hiding and stabbed her weapon into the ground, conjuring ice beneath their feet.

They struggled to escape as I shouted, "Mai, Shuichi, now!" On cue, they jumped out of hiding and fired two arrows. The arrows starting beeping loudly until it released some type of blue gas. We hear the ninjas coughing heavily until they all drop to the floor.

We stood clear away from it until the gas finally disperse, allowing us to come out of hiding and approach the unconscious ninjas. We stared at them as Ruby asked, "Ready for dress up?"

* * *

We walked in a tight formation to the entrance of the base, where they have to guards posted out front. Shuichi took the lead as he said, "We must report to Gaoh."

They immediately complied as they opened the gate, allowing us access inside. There were several small huts for all the ninjas and samurais to sleep in, several ladders that were spread evenly through the base, and a large Vacuan styled building where Gaoh may possibly be hiding in.

"Yes! Phase one complete! Great plan, Kurokuu!" Ruby whispered while doing a ninja hand sign.

"We're not out of the blue yet. We just need to stop Gaoh and take back the Den-Liner." Shuichi whispered.

"Hey, you ten!" We all turned around and saw a man in shogun armor. "What're you doing here? You're supposed to report to me immediately!"

"My apologies, sir. We spent a little too much time in the village search for those people Gaoh mentioned." Shuichi said as he got on his knees and bowed his head down.

We all did the same, hopefully that would convince him that we're not who we really are. "Okay, then. Did you find them?"

"No, sir. We didn't find them." Blake answered.

"Damn it." The shogun cursed. "Make yourselves useful and set up the explosives." We all got up and bowed once more before walking away from him.

" **Phew. That was too close."** Momotaros said before snickering. " **Great plan, Kurokuu."**

"Thanks Momotaros." I said. I looked up at the large Vacuan styled building before shifting my attention back to the Den-Liner. "So what now? Should we split up?"

"Good idea." Ruby said. "I'll take my team and take back the Den-Liner and we'll meet back with you guys for the fight with Gaoh."

"Sounds like a plan." Shuichi said as he pulled out his sword. "If you hear an explosion, that's the cue."

We all nodded as we split up. I follow Shuichi, Mai, Deneb, Momotaros, and Sieg to the Vacuan styled building. We stood near the entrance as Mai pulled out her bow and arrow and said, "Ready for breach?"

We all pulled out our weapons as Shuichi opened the door. We all rushed inside and saw that no one was inside. I lowered my weapon down and asked everyone, "Umm… where's the Gaoh guy?"

" **I don't know, he should still be here. Do you think he could be somewhere else?"** Deneb asked Shuichi.

I look over to Mai as she looked up at the ceiling. "Guys! Look up!" We all looked up as multiple White Fang lieutenants jumped down and ambushed us.

One of them grabbed me by the jacket and tossed me out of the building. I groaned in pain as I turned around and see the lieutenant going in for the kill. I quickly rolled to the left and got back up on my feet. I pulled out the katana as I got a good look on the lieutenant I'm facing.

He was a large dude! Then again, there's Yatsuhashi. But that aside, he wore the standard uniform but with one major difference. His mask is modeled after geist grimm. He wields a large battle axe as he charged straight towards me. Afraid that the axe would cut me like butter, I rolled out of the way and slashed him across the back.

He hissed in pain before kicking me off the small cliff and onto the ground level of the base. I was immediately surrounded by samurais, ninjas, Imagins, and White Fang soldiers as they all pointed their weapons at me.

" **Oi! Let me go damn it!"** I hear Momotaros shouting as he and the rest of the group were chained up by the lieutenants.

They all tried to wiggle free out of their chains, but it was rendered completely useless. Then I see the crowd splitting apart as they make way for a certain person, Gaoh. He stared down at us and said, "Well, looks like you guys are still alive. How disappointing."

"You must be Gaoh." I assume.

"Of course, I am. We met-" Gaoh cuts himself off for a moment. He then starts laughing as he said, "Oh I see, you lost your memories. Now that's the funniest thing that has happened to me this week."

"Sir, what should we do with them?" The shogun asked.

Gaoh sighed softly and said, "You talk too much." Then he grabs the shogun by the neck as he begins glowing yellow. I see his aura visibly being sucked out of him as Gaoh started glowing orange. I watched in horror as Gaoh sapped him dry of his aura. After doing so, he simply tosses him aside.

He faces back to me and stared at me. Gaoh moved closer to me, face to face, as he asked, "Is that you… being scared? Now that's something you don't see every day. Now, I know there's more people with you other than them. And I'll ask you nicely, where are they?"

I made no eye contact with him and answered, "I don't know who you're talking about."

Gaoh smirked at me before grabbing my face and bring it closer to his. "I'm talking about those four girls. The girls who you're always with. Don't lie to me."

* * *

 _Few Minutes Prior_

 _Team RWBY all snuck towards the Den-Liner and quickly entered inside without anyone noticing. They tiptoed towards the dining car, being extremely cautious about who may be in the other side. Ruby pulled out Crescent Rose and said, "Alright guys, you ready?"_

 _Everyone loaded their weapons as they responded, "Ready."_

" _On three." Ruby notified everyone. "One. Two. Three!" They all breached into the room, only to see The Owner, Naomi, Doctor Oobleck, Zwei, Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros together._

 _The Owner turned to them and said, "Team RWBY, you've arrived just in time."_

" _Owner? Everyone? You're all okay!" Ruby said with joy as Zwei barked loudly and charged towards her. Zwei began licking her face as she said, "I miss you too, Zwei! Sorry for being gone for so long!"_

 _Weiss walked up to Doctor Oobleck and said, "It's good to see that you're okay, Professor Oobleck."_

 _Doctor Oobleck took a sip of coffee and said, "Ah, well. All that matters is that you students are okay. And that's Doctor Oobleck! I don't like to repeat myself."_

 _Urataros is standing around while Kintaros is still trying to break free._ " _ **Everyone? What took you so long?"**_ _Urataros asked._

" _Let's just say we went very far into the past." Yang said. "What happened to you guys?"_

 _Kintaros got shocked again as Ryutaros answered_ _ **, "They were trapped in there for the past two days! At first, it was funny to see Kuma-chan shock himself again and again. But then, it got boring."**_

" _Hold up. I'll get you out." Yang said as she cracked her knuckles._

" _ **It's fine, Yang! I have this!"**_ _Kintaros said as he charged towards the cage again. But before Kintaros could touch the cage, The Owner threw a small flag at a cracked part of the cage, setting Urataros and Kintaros free! But this couldn't slow Kintaros down as he accidentally crashed into Yang._

" _Ow! Kintaros… get… off of me!" Yang shouted, which caught his attention, allowing her to get up._

" _ **So, where Kurokuu and everyone else?"**_ _Urataros asked._

" _They should be out- Guys we have a problem!" Blake shouted. Everyone looked out the window and saw everyone huddling around Kurokuu._

" _We gotta help them!" Weiss said. "What's the plan?"_

 _Ruby ponders for a moment and said, "They don't know that we're in disguise. We could sneak attack them now! I'll be sniping Gaoh while the rest of you handle everyone on the ground."_

" _ **Sounds like a good idea."**_ _Urataros said as he touched the bridge of his nose._

" _ **I want to join to! Gaoh didn't show me anything interesting so I'll have some fun!"**_ _Ryutaros exclaimed as he pulled out the Ryuvolver._

" _Well, ladies. If you don't mind, I'll be joining you. I'm not letting any of my students get hurt." Doctor Oobleck said as he twirled his club around. "Now, shall we?"_

* * *

I froze on the spot, trying to figure out what to do next. Damn it, I can't believe the plan was a failure! What do I do now? As I try to figure out what to do next, I looked over Gaoh's shoulder and see Ruby aiming her sniper rifle at Gaoh.

I soon felt some sort of relief when I saw her. Ruby, you're a lifesaver! But where are the others? I looked around a little more as I see Weiss, Blake, Yang, and four other masked ninjas blending in with the crowd.

I finally got some confidence back within me as Gaoh asked, "I'm not playing around. Where are those girls?"

I chuckled a little and answered, "They're closer than you realize." As soon as I said that, I hear a gunshot ringing in the air as a bullet pierced through Gaoh's side.

With the distraction going on, this allowed Shuichi, Mai, Deneb, Momotaros, Sieg, and I to make our move. "ATTACK!" I hear Ruby shout as they all charged into battle. I tackled Gaoh down, but he managed to kick me off.

I quickly got back up and pulled out my katana as he gets up as well and pulls out his sword. Gaoh smirked as he twirled it around and said, "Can't hurt to have some fun with you before you die."

He then went in for a vertical strike, but I managed to block the attack and move out of the way. I go in for a stab, but he quickly parries my attacks and slashes me across the chest.

Luckily, my aura protected me, but he made a hole in my jacket. I looked at him as Gaoh smirked and went in for a horizontal strike. I quickly backed away and slashed Gaoh across the chest. He stumbles back a bit before going in for another vertical strike.

I managed to block the attack, but the blow was so powerful that it broke my katana. All I was left with was the hilt of the katana. He twirled his sword around and said, "Looks like this is the end."

I quickly back away until I heard the sword hit something else, which caused me to open my eyes. I look up and saw a blue turtle imagin as he said **, "Hey, Kurokuu. Did you miss me?"**

I stared at him for a little bit as the blue turtle imagin pushes Gaoh away and thrusts his rod. Gaoh managed to deflect it and go in for a horizontal slash, but Urataros was quickly saved by Momotaros as he rushed in and deflected the attack. Momotaros clashed swords with Gaoh as he said to me **, "Oi, what're you standing there for?! Get back to red and the group now!"**

I nodded in response before running off to find Ruby and everyone else. I see them fighting on the cliff above, so I looked around for a nearby ladder and began making my way up. When I arrive, I see Team RWBY, Mai, Shuichi, Deneb, Doctor Oobleck, and two other imagins dispatching all of the ninjas and samurais. Yang is seen blasting everyone away as she exclaims, "Finally some action!"

Shuichi, Mai, Deneb, and Ruby are seen showering their arrows and bullets onto the ninjas and samurais as Mai shouts, "Stay focused everyone!"

I looked over to the yellow bear imagin as he fought off three samurais. They all attacked at once, but he simply catches them with his bare hands and said **, "They're hardly a challenge!"** He then yanked their katanas out of their hands and picks up one of the samurais.

"Let me go!" The samurai shouted as he tried to wiggle free.

" **As you wish!"** The yellow bear imagin shouted as he tossed him at the other two samurais.

I then look over to the purple dragon imagin as he fires his gun wildly at the samurais. " **Mind if I shoot you? I can't hear you!"**

I look over to Weiss and Blake as they're seen cutting down ninjas and samurais left and right. While they were occupied with what's in front of them, I saw a ninja coming up from behind. I quickly charged in and drop kicked him in the face, knocking him out. Weiss looked at me and said, "Thanks."

"Hey, what're are friends for?" I said. She looked at me in slight shock until an explosion caught our attention. We all turned to the burnt building as we see a dog walking out of it.

"Great job, Zwei!" Ruby praised as she gave him a high five. Seriously, how in the hell did a dog do all of that?

"Well, I see you decided to join us, Mr. Akarui." I turned around and see Doctor Oobleck with his signature club. He blew off some smoke from the barrel as he said, "Good to see that you're okay."

I was about to respond until I heard the sound of Momotaros and the blue turtle imagin screaming. I quickly turn around and see Momotaros and the blue turtle imagin come crashing towards us. They groaned in pain as we all rushed towards them. "Momotaros, are you alright?" I asked.

He growled in pain and said **, "Damn… Gaoh…"**

We all look up and see Gaoh along with the lieutenant I fought. He wiped the sand off his sword as he said, "Lieutenant, deal with the kids. The boy and his imagins are mine." The lieutenant nodded as sand started to pour off of him. The sand quickly formed into some type of salamander imagin. He rolled his neck around and charged towards Team RWBY, Mai, Shuichi, Deneb, and Doctor Oobleck while Gaoh charged towards me, Momotaros, and the three other imagins.

As Gaoh was charging towards us, Momotaros looked at me and shouted **, "Kurokuu! Let's transform!"** He then glowed translucent red and charged towards me. I felt him enter inside me for a moment before passing through me. " **Damn it! You still don't remember?!"**

" **We'll hold him off, Momoji!"** The yellow bear imagin shouted as he and the two others charged towards Gaoh. Gaoh deflects the yellow bear imagin's axe before slashing him across the stomach. The blue turtle imagin swung his rod around, but Gaoh managed to dodge each attack before deflecting and striking back.

I look over to Momotaros and asked, "What do we do? They're not gonna make it!" Suddenly, I felt a familiar presence enter my body. 'Sieg, what're you doing?' I asked.

" **I'm here to end this battle."** Sieg replied as a belt appeared around his waist. He clicked on the silver button as the sound of harps filled the air. Sieg raises the pass in the air and said **, "Henshin."** He swipes the pass over the belt and tosses it aside as it called out.

 **WING FORM**

The armor materialized as white pieces of armor appeared and combined with the suit. Then the faceplate appeared as it attached with the helmet, completing the transformation. Sieg pointed up to the sky and said **, "Advent. To the top."**

"He's still able to transform?" Blake asked as everyone stared at Sieg.

" **Oi, oi! How is that bastard still able to transform and not me?!"** Momotaros shouted as he picked up the pass off the ground.

The salamander imagin stopped dead in his tracks and said **, "The Den-O? I've been wanting to fight you!"** He shifted his attention away from Team RWBY, Mai, Shuichi, Deneb, Doctor Oobleck and charged towards Sieg.

As the imagin got closer, Sieg quickly assembled his weapons and threw the boomerang at the salamander imagin, knocking him back. Once the boomerang returned back to Sieg's hand, he faced towards Gaoh and said **, "You! You're an eyesore. Be gone!"**

Gaoh smirked and said, "You should learn a thing or two about respect. Let's start right now." Suddenly, a belt appeared around his waist as he clicks on the silver button. It played an organ tune as Gaoh said, "Henshin." The pass levitates in front of the belt as it called out.

 **GAOH FORM**

His armor materialized as bronze pieces of armor appeared and combined with the suit. Then the faceplate appeared as it attached with the helmet, completing his transformation. I stared at him in fear as I saw him in the armor. I didn't know he could transform!

Looks like I wasn't the only one that was surprised as Mai has a shocked expression on her face as she said, "Gaoh could transform?!"

"Yeah. He took me down quickly in his armor." Shuichi said as he gripped his sword tightly.

Gaoh tossed his normal sword aside and assembled his new sword with the pieces on the side of the belt. Once he finish doing so, he pointed his sword at Sieg and said, "Fear me." He then charged straight towards Sieg with a downward strike, but Sieg managed to block the attack with his handaxe. But this left Sieg wide open as the salamander imagin slashed Sieg across the chest.

Sieg stumbled back for a bit, but he quickly recovered and kicked the salamander imagin away before focusing his attention back on Gaoh. I look over to Momotaros, who is visibly shaking in anger. He clenched his hand into a fist and shouted **, "I can't take this anymore!"** Momotaros turned his head towards Mai and said **, "Oi, woman! I'm taking over!"**

He turned translucent red and jumped inside of Mai, taking control of her body. Everyone stared at Momotaros in shock as Shuichi asked, "Is he serious?!"

Mai's appearance changed as her eyes changed from dark brown to red and her hair had a red streak running through it. Momotaros wrapped a belt around his waist and clicked a red button. It played an electronic tune as he said **, "Henshin!"** He swiped the pass over the belt as it called out.

 **SWORD FORM**

The armor materialized as red armor pieces appeared and combined with the suit. Then the faceplate appeared as it attaches with the helmet, completing the transformation. Momotaros did a pose while saying **, "Ore sanjou!"**

 **"He hit a new low… hasn't he?"** Urataros said in droned voice.

Momotaros quickly assembles his sword and joins in on the fight. He slashes the salamander imagin relentlessly before pulling him away from Sieg. He kicked the salamander imagin in the stomach before slashing his across the chest.

This gave Sieg an easier time to stay toe to toe with Gaoh, but just barely. Gaoh went in for a vertical strike, but Sieg traps his sword in between his handaxe and boomerang and disarms him. This left Gaoh open as Sieg did a powerful slash across the chest. But Gaoh didn't seem affected by it as he powers through and grabs Sieg's arm.

Soon, Sieg's aura started glow white as I felt his aura being drained by Gaoh. He felt on his knees as he struggled to break free from his grip. Then I felt this burning sensation inside me as I soon felt my aura being drain as well.

I thought we were done for until the salamander imagin crashed into Gaoh, causing him to lose his grip on Sieg. Gaoh growled in anger as he turned to the salamander imagin and shouted, "Are you an imbecile?! Watch where you're going!"

" **It's the Den-O, sir! He's quite powerful!"** The salamander imagin claimed.

Momotaros joined up with me and Sieg as he said **, "Oh, chicken wing bastard. You're owing a lot of people for saving your life, you know that?"**

" **Of course I know."** Sieg said as he grabbed the pass out of Momotaros' hand. Sieg then placed the pass over the belt.

 **FULL CHARGE**

" **Good."** Momotaros said as he snatched the pass out of Sieg's hands. He placed he pass in front of the belt as well as it called out.

 **FULL CHARGE**

Lasers entered into their weapons as it began glowing to their respective colors. " **This is my hissastsu! Volume Finale Version!"** Momotaros shouted as the blade disconnects from the hilt. Sieg's blades glowed silver and gold as he tosses both weapons at Gaoh and the salamander imagin, slashing them across the chest.

Momotaros waves his hilt up and down as the blade followed his movements. The blade flew straight in the air before going straight down onto the salamander imagin and Gaoh, causing an explosion to occur.

Everyone fell dead silent as they stared at the us. We did it. We actually did it! We stopped Gaoh! "You guys did it!" Ruby shouted excitedly.

Momotaros and Sieg faced towards Ruby and the group and began making their way back to them. But their faces suddenly went from happiness to horror as Shuichi shouted, "Behind you!"

Momotaros and Sieg quickly turned around and saw a blade coming straight at us! They had no time to react as the blade slashed through the both of them. Our suit began emitting sparks as our armor dematerialize, separating me and Mai from Momotaros and Sieg.

I felt nothing but stinging pain coming from my chest as I struggle to get back up. But Gaoh placed his foot on my back, preventing me from getting up. Momotaros and Sieg were on their knees as Shuichi and Yang were ready to attack, but Gaoh pointed his sword at Mai's neck. "Don't move or they'll lose their heads!" Gaoh shouted as his armor dematerialized. No one dared to move a muscle. Silence filled the air until Gaoh grabbed me by my hair. I yelped in pain as he said, "My. My. My. Did you really think you could stop me? Well, it doesn't matter now because everything is going as planned." He looked over to the lieutenant near the explosives and shouted, "Now!"

The lieutenant nodded as he pushed the detonator. In an instant, a large explosion blew a hole in the cave. Silence filled the air once more until the sound of roaring is heard. Out from the hole, the Gaoh-Liner makes its appearance. The Gaoh-Liner has a base color of black and gray while the orange ran along the spikes on top. The front of the Gaoh-Liner has a face of a crocodile as it moves around and roars loudly. The Gaoh-Liner pushed the Den-Liner out of the way, derailing it off of the train tracks. Luckily, the Den-Liner landed on its wheels.

Gaoh smirked as three other lieutenants surround him. Sand began pouring off of them as they all form into imagins. The first imagin is a cobra, the second is a gecko, and the last is a newt. The imagins started snickering as Gaoh crouched down to me and said, "The Gaoh-Liner is now free. Why don't you be the first one to ride it?" He then pulled a card out of his pockets as it has a picture of an armored warrior, but that's not what caught my attention, it was the date. The date read 10/10/2000, that date is… my birthday.

* * *

" _You're not going anywhere!" Ruby shouted as she fired off her gun. But the Gaoh-Liner blocked the bullet in time as it picked up Gaoh, the three imagins, and Kurokuu._

" _ **You're not going anywhere you bastard!"**_ _Momotaros shouted as he jumped up and clung onto the the door handle of the caboose._

" _ **Senpai! That's much too dangerous!"**_ _Urataros shouted as the Gaoh-Liner heads into the portal in the sky._

" _No!" Weiss shouted as she gripped tightly onto the hilt of her weapon. "We gotta go after him quick!"_

" _Agreed." Shuichi said as the Zero-Liner entered this time period once again. The Zero-Liner landed as the door open, revealing the young Kurokuu. He hopped off and asked, "The train moved on its own and I'm wondering what's going on?"_

" _ **Kiddo, Kurokuu got captured by Gaoh. But don't worry, we'll save him!"**_ _Kintaros guaranteed as he placed his hands on Kurokuu's shoulders._

 _Blake and Yang helped Mai and Sieg up as Blake asked, "The date, 10/10/2000. Is that day important to you?"_

" _October 10, 2000 is my birthday." The young Kurokuu replied._

 _Everyone stared at him in shock as Doctor Oobleck said, "If he's going on the day he's born…"_

" _He could wipe Kurokuu out of existence with the Gaoh-Liner." Yang finished._

 _Shuichi walked up to Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros and said, "I have a plan, but I'll need take Kurokuu's imagins. The rest of you guys go after Gaoh."_

" _Okay, but what's the plan?!" Blake asked._

" _There's no time. Just go!"_

" _Alright, let's go everyone!" Ruby said as her team, young Kurokuu, Mai, Sieg, Doctor Oobleck, and Zwei all rushed towards the Den-Liner while Shuichi, Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros all rushed into the Zero-Liner._

* * *

 _October 10, 2000_

The three imagins tossed me off the Gaoh-Liner as they all boarded off. I looked at my surroundings and noticed that I was in Vale Park. As I looked over to the swingset, I felt the same sharp pain from before in my head. I clenched my head in pain as I slowly remembered something.

I was in this same park. I was getting my butt beat by three guys. And then, he came. No, Momotaros came and saved me. Then I remember the time when I was hospitalized. That time when I was afraid of not being able to protect everyone. But Momotaros was there to help put me in perspective. And then, I remembered the first time me and Momotaros worked together at the Forever Fall forest after we finally got along.

Slowly, I felt the pain subside as Gaoh and the three imagins stepped off the Gaoh-Liner. They walked towards me as Gaoh asked, "Well, are you ready for a show?"

Then the Gaoh-Liner roared loudly as it went on a rampage through the city. As that happened, the Gaoh-Liner release a destructive wave, destroying everything in sight except us. And in the short span of two second, the entire city is left in ruins. I watched in shock as the Gaoh-Liner returned back to Gaoh. During the rampage, I see Momotaros hanging onto the caboose before accidentally letting go, crashing into some nearby tree.

Everyone. Kasumi, Mom, Dad, everyone at Beacon academy. Gone. Gaoh inhaled deeply as he said, "Watch as your time runs short. In one day, everything will be erased. And since you're born on this day, you will disappear along with it."

I felt my blood boiling at what he did as I stood up and grabbed him by his coat. He simply pushed me back down, but that didn't stop me. I stood back up and shouted, "Why are you doing this? What do you gain from destroying time?!"

"Why? Because I despise time. In the end, time is the enemy. Time is what kills us all. And if I erase all of time, the Imagin race can thrive and time can't kill me. I become immortal. A God."

I stared at him straight in the eyes as I slowly got back up on my feet. "You're right about time. How it'll kill us all one day, but you forgot one thing. Time also gives us something precious in return, memories. Moments in the past that we can cherish. Moments that we never want to forget. Isn't that right, Momotaros?"

"Huh?"

"Momotaros." I said once more. I see Momotaros' hand move a little as he began glowing translucent red.

He floated over to me with excitement as he asked **, "Kurokuu! Do you… remember me?"**

I smiled and said, "Kept you waiting, didn't I?"

Momotaros did a short laugh and said **, "You scamp! Took you long enough!"** He rubbed his hands eagerly as he flies around and said **, "Alright! Let's rampage and beat that bastard!"**

"Sounds like a plan."

Gaoh pulled out the Master Pass as his belt appeared around his waist. "I was gonna let you disappear like everything else, but now, I think killing you slowly is more satisfying." He presses the silver button on the belt as it played an organ tune. He tosses the pass in the air and said, "Henshin." The pass floats in front of the belt as it called out.

 **GAOH FORM**

His armor materialized as the bronze armor pieces appeared and combined with the suit. Then the faceplate appeared as it attaches with the helmet. I pulled my belt out and wrapped it around my waist. But as I pulled my pass out, I felt a pair of arms grabbing me from behind. Damn it, they're trying to stop me from transforming!

" **OI! YOU CAN'T INTERRUPT A TRANSFORMATION! THAT'S AGAINST THE RULES!"** Momotaros shouted.

I wiggled constantly until I finally broke out from the newt imagin's grasp. Then I kick the gecko imagin in the stomach before punching the cobra imagin in the face. With them stunned, this gave me enough time to get some distance between us.

The three imagins and Gaoh grouped up and charged straight at us. I was about to transform until the cry of the Den-Liner stopped me. I looked up and saw the Den-Liner entering this time period as it landed right between me and Momotaros and Gaoh and his group.

The door opened as Team RWBY boarded off the train. "Kurokuu!" Ruby shouted as they approached me and Momotaros. "Sorry we took so long. We had to help Mai and Sieg with their wounds."

"It's alright, Ruby. I'm just glad you're all here. Especially you, Weiss." I said with a smile. Weiss did the same in return before focusing her attention back on Gaoh and the imagins.

Gaoh assembled his sword and said, "So. You girls want to die with him? I'll gladly help you with that. You cannot stop me." He was ready to charge at us until the cry of the Zero-Liner caught his attention. "What the hell is this now?"

We saw the Zero-Liner exit the portal as it parked on the ground. The door opened as Deneb and Shuichi walked out with his belt in hand. We all shifted our attention on him as Yang asked, "Shuichi, you said you had a plan, so it better be good."

"Don't worry, I got reinforcements." Shuichi replied as three individuals stepped out of the Zero-Liner. They were… me? The first Kurokuu has blue eyes and hair similar to mine, but with a blue streak running through it. He dons a black suit with a blue collared shirt and yellow tie. The second Kurokuu has yellow eyes and long hair that is tied into a ponytail with a yellow streak running through it. He's wearing a yellow, Vacuan kimono with black stripes running down and sandals. The last Kurokuu has purple eyes and messy, black hair with clump of purple hair running off the side. He's wearing a white shirt with a purple flannel, brown hat with purple dye, headphones, and cargo pants.

We stared in shock as Weiss asked, "What..? How are there three Kurokuus?"

" **We went back and picked up different Kurokuus from various points in time. Then we had Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros possess each of them."** Deneb explained.

Ruby's eyes were bursting with joy as she shouted, "Shuichi, you're a genius!"

Urataros readjusts his glasses and commented **, "Although this is a little strange, it's not bad at all."**

" **This sure is gonna be fun!"** Ryutaros said with excitement.

" **Agreed."** Kintaros said as he cracked his neck.

"Looks like everyone's here. Are you ready?" Weiss asked as she pulled out Myrtenaster.

I showed off my pass and said with confidence, "I'm born ready."

Yang cocked her gauntlets as she shouted in excitement, "Let's get this party started!" All of Team RWBY loaded their weapons as Shuichi, Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros wrapped their belts around their waists.

Weiss walked over to Blake and handed her some clips with different types of dust inside. "Here, this should help you." Weiss said. Blake nodded and grabbed the clip out of her hand.

We all pressed our designated button while Shuichi slide the top of his switch. Our tunes overlapped with each other as we said at the same time, "HENSHIN **/HENSHIN!"** We all swiped the pass in front of the belt as Shuichi slid his card in.

 **SWORD FORM**

 **ROD FORM**

 **AXE FORM**

 **GUN FORM**

 **VEGA FORM**

Our suits materialized as each of our armor pieces combine with their designated suit. Then our faceplates appeared and combined with their designated helmet, completing our transformation.

Momotaros rolled his shoulders forward and said while doing his signature pose **, "Ore sanjou!"**

" **Mind if I reel you all in?"** Urataros asked.

Kintaros got into a sumo pose as he said **, "My strength will make you cry!"**

Ryutaros did a quick spin and said while pointing at Gaoh and the imagins **, "Mind if we defeat you? I can't hear you!"**

Deneb had his crossbow already assembled as he said **, "Let me say this from the start, we are fairly strong together!"**

"Team RWBY assemble!" Ruby shouted as they got into the positions.

Silence filled the air for a moment until Gaoh started laughing. He slowly calmed down and said while point his sword at us, "How foolish of you all. Fine, you will have a taste of my true power."

Momotaros assembled his sword as he said **, "Get cocky all you want. Because from here on out, this is the climax!"** He pointed his sword at Gaoh back and shouted **, "IKUZE! IKUZE! IKUZE!"**

"Charge!" Ruby shouted as we all headed into battle.

* * *

 _The newt imagin barely held his own against the two powerhouses of the group, Kintaros and Yang. Kintaros slashed the newt imagin across the chest before kicking him in the stomach and slashing upward, knocking him back._

" _ **Yang, now!"**_ _Kintaros shouted as he spread his shoulders out. Yang ran towards Kintaros and jumped on his shoulder as boost. She went in for a dive kick for the head, disorienting the imagin._

 _From there, Yang unleashed a fury of punches and kicks, causing sand to spill everywhere. Yang stopped for a moment, allowing the newt imagin to get back up. "Come on! Can't handle little ol' me? I'm actually not that surprised."_

" _ **You… dumb… blond…"**_ _The newt insulted in between his breaths._

 _Yang rolled her eyes while having her hands up. She slowly walked towards him again as she grabbed the newt imagin by the neck and shouted, "Heads up, Kintaros!"_

 _With one arm, she tosses the newt imagin towards Kintaros as he places the pass over the belt._

 _ **FULL CHARGE**_

 _Lasers from the belt entered into Kintaros' axe as the blade glowed bright yellow. Kintaros gripped on the handle of the axe tightly as he charges in and slices him in half. The torso and legs of the newt imagin flew pass Kintaros as they exploded._

" _ **Dynamic chop!"**_ _Kintaros said._

 _Yang walked back to Kintaros and put her hand up in the air. "Up top, big guy!" Yang cheered. After Kintaros and Yang exchanged high fives, the roar of the Gaoh-Liner caught their attention as they see Deneb and Ruby firing at it while running away. "Looks like they need our help."_

" _ **Agreed. Ruby and Deneb can't stop it by themselves."**_ _Kintaros agreed as Yang walked ahead of him. When she wasn't looking, Kintaros rubbed his hand in pain._ " _ **Now that's… pure strength."**_

" _Kintaros, come on!" Yang shouted. Kintaros gripped his hand tightly and caught up with Yang._

* * *

 _Blake is seen evading all of the gecko imagin's attack. The gecko imagin growled in anger as he shouted_ _ **, "Get back here, you stupid faunus!"**_ _She didn't utter a word as the gecko imagin thrusted his sword. But her shadow took her place as Blake jumped over him and shot a ribbon around his sword. Blake landed daintily back on the ground and tugged on it, yanking the imagin's sword out of his hands._

 _The gecko imagin, now disarmed, is enraged as he shouts_ _ **, "You!"**_ _He charges straight towards Blake, but a certain purple clad warrior got in his way._

 _Ryutaros was hanging upside down on a tree branch as he pointed his gun and said_ _ **, "Surprise!"**_ _He then fired off several rounds into the gecko imagin's chest, knocking him back. Ryutaros hopped off the branch and walked back to Blake as he cheered_ _ **, "Yay! The sneak attack worked!"**_

" _It's not the time to cheer just yet, Ryutaros. We need to finish him off." Blake notified._

" _ **Let me finish him off!"**_ _Ryutaros said as he placed the pass in front of the belt._

 _ **FULL CHARGE**_

 _Lasers emitted from Ryutaros' shoulder armor and belt as it enters into his gun. Blake reloaded her magazine as she inserts the dust clip that Weiss gave her. She pulled the slide back as she jumps up and leaves a shadow clone behind._

 _Blake runs closer and closer to the gecko imagin as he said_ _ **, "You fool!"**_ _He was gonna go in for the attack, but Blake jumped over him, leaving him a special surprise in front of him._

 _Instead of a shadow clone, this clone was infused with fire dust as the gecko imagin attacked it, causing a large explosion to occur. This pushed him back as Ryutaros ran towards him. He jumped up and used Blake's shadow clone as a boost and jumps over the gecko imagin._

 _Ryutaros lands right behind him as he pointed his gun point blank to the back of his head. The gecko imagin didn't move an inch as Ryutaros shouted_ _ **, "BANG!"**_ _With a pull of a trigger, Ryutaros fired the purple energy ball at the imagin, vaporizing his entire head._

 _The gecko imagin's body moved around on its own for a moment until the body fell down and disintegrated into sand. Ryutaros jumped up and down with joy as he cheered_ _ **, "Yay! We did it Neko-chan!"**_

" _Neko?" Blake said confusingly._

" _ **Yeah! You're a kitty cat, so your name is Neko-chan! Ooh! Ooh! Can I see your kitty ears please?!"**_ _Ryutaros asked while trying to pull the ribbons off her head._

 _Blake slaps his hand away and said, "Ryutaros, now is not the time. Besides-" The roar of the Gaoh-Liner cut her off abruptly as she sees Deneb and Ruby dealing with it. "We need to help Ruby and Deneb."_

" _ **Hai…"**_ _Ryutaros said disappointingly as he reluctantly followed Blake to go after Ruby and Deneb._

* * *

 _The cobra imagin could barely keep up with Weiss' movements as she goes in for quick thrusts and strikes. Weiss stabs the cobra imagin in the chest and legs before doing a backflip kick in he face. The cobra imagin stumbled back as he growled and said_ _ **, "Hmph. Did daddy teach you how to fight? Cause you're vexing more than intimidating."**_ _The cobra imagin said arrogantly as he rubs his jaw._

 _Weiss pointed the blade of Myrtenaster upwards as she said, "Mind your tongue. You're only digging yourself into a grave."_

" _ **Guess again!"**_ _The cobra imagin shouted as he charged straight at Weiss. But a random fishing hook wrapped around the imagin's foot as someone yanked on it, causing the Combra imagin to fall down._ " _ **What the?!"**_

" _ **Did you forget about me? Like I said to all of you, mind if I reel you in? And it looks like you're okay with it!"**_ _Urataros said as he pulled the cobra imagin away from Weiss. Once he got into range, Urataros stabbed the imagin with his rod multiple times until he stabbed him in the gut and tossed him into a broken bench._

 _The cobra imagin rubbed his head as he said_ _ **, "You…"**_

" _ **At your service."**_ _Urataros said with a small finger salute. He pulled out his passed and asked_ _ **, "Shall we?"**_

" _Of course." Weiss said as she spins the cylinder. She stabs Myrtenaster into the ground as a glyph appeared under the cobra imagin's feet. In an instant, ice started to encase his legs, preventing him from moving._

 _Then a yellow clock glyph appears under Weiss' feet as she zoomed past the cobra imagin. Urataros placed a pass in front of his belt as it called out._

 _ **FULL CHARGE**_

 _Laser from the belt entered Urataros' rod as he chucks it at the cobra imagin. Urataros massaged his wrist as he jumped up and performed a dive kick, sending the cobra imagin flying. Weiss prepared her weapon as she waits for the cobra imagin to get closer._

 _And in one swift motion, Weiss skewered the cobra imagin. Sand slowly started seeping out of the cobra imagin as Weiss said, "I'm Weiss Schnee of the Schnee Dust Company. Don't forget it." Weiss whispered as she pulls out her sword, allowing the imagin to fall on the ground. Weiss holsters her weapon and walks back to Urataros as explosion occurred behind her._

" _ **Weiss Schnee, you're so cold. Maybe I can help melt that cold exterior?"**_ _Urataros flirted as he tried to wrap his arm around Weiss._

 _Weiss slapped his hand away and said, "Don't even think about it."_

 _Urataros shrugged and said_ _ **, "Well, I tried. Guess your heart is already reeled in by Kurokuu."**_

 _Weiss' face blushed at that comment. Urataros looked around and saw Ruby and Deneb dealing with the Gaoh-Loner and said_ _ **, "Looks like Ruby needs our help. Shall we?"**_ _Weiss finally snapped out of it and followed Urataros to help aid Ruby and Deneb._

* * *

 _Ruby and Deneb are firing round after round at the Gaoh-Liner, trying to take it down. Ruby reloaded her weapon as she said to Deneb, "Deneb, I don't think we have enough firepower!"_

" _ **Just hold on, let me try something!"**_ _Deneb said as he pulled the card out of the belt. He inserted the card inside the magazine of the crossbow as it called out._

 _ **FULL CHARGE**_

 _Laser emitted from the belt as it entered at the tip of the crossbow. Then Deneb fired rapidly at the Gaoh-Liner, shooting energy blasts in the shape of a V. But sadly, it was rendered useless as it roared loudly and tried to go in for the bite._

 _Luckily, Deneb and Ruby rolled out of the way just in time. The Gaoh-Liner roared loudly as Ruby asked, "How much firepower will it take to take that thing down?!"_

" _How about a hand or two?!" Yang suggested as she and Kintaros jumped in. Yang fired off some rounds while Kintaros was standing on top of the Gaoh-Liner hacking and slashing away._

 _Then a purple energy blast pierced the side of the Gaoh-Liner, inflicting some damage on it. Everyone looked up and saw Ryutaros and Blake firing at the Gaoh-Liner._ " _ **Neko-chan and I are here to rescue you!"**_ _Ryutaros shouted as he kept on firing._

" _Duck!" Weiss shouted as she flings a wave of fire dust at the Gaoh-Liner. Everyone ducked as the fire dust exploded upon contact with the train, dealing some damage._

" _Everyone! You're here!" Ruby shouted with relief._

 _Weiss reached her hand out to Ruby and said, "Ruby, what will you do without us?"_

 _Ruby smiled as she accepted Weiss' help and got back in her feet. She picked up Crescent Rose off the ground and said, "Thanks, but we still don't have enough firepower in order to take the Gaoh-Liner down."_

" _ **Unless… I know!"**_ _Deneb shouted as he ran back to the Zero-Liner._

" _Where is he going?!" Yang shouted._

" _He said he has a plan!" Ruby replied._

" _Well, he better hurry up!" The Gaoh-Liner roared loudly, exposing the inside of its mouth. Yang's eyes turned red as she jumped into the Gaoh-Liner's mouth. The Gaoh-Liner was ready to chomp on Yang, but her strength was more than enough to withstand the pressure. With one arm available, Yang started firing round after round while shouting, "I! HOPE! YOU'RE! HUNG-! -GRY!"_

 _Deneb finally came back with Shuichi's quiver in his hands. He dropped it down in front of Ruby as Weiss asked, "What're we supposed to do with this?"_

" _ **Inside, I gathered all of Shuichi's explosive arrows. And I think I have a plan to take it down."**_ _Deneb explains in between his breaths. He regained his composure and continued_ _ **, "Ruby, I'm gonna use the Zero-Liner and drill a hole in the Gaoh-Liner. From there, you need to enter inside a place the explosives in the engine room. This should stop the Gaoh-Liner."**_

" _Are you crazy?! What if Ruby doesn't make it out?! What if it doesn't even work?!"_

" _Weiss, there's no time. We just have to trust Deneb with the plan." Ruby said as she stared into Weiss' eyes._

 _Weiss takes a deep breath and said, "Alright, but be careful."_

 _Ruby nodded yes as she picked up the quiver filled with explosive arrows. "I'm ready, Deneb. Get to the Zero-Liner."_

" _ **Roger!"**_ _Deneb said as he ran back to the Den-Liner._

 _Ruby faced everyone and shouted, "Guys! Get away from the Gaoh-Liner!"_

 _Everyone complied as they moved out of the way, giving the Zero-Liner some room. The head in front of the Zero-Liner switched over, revealing a large drill. The drill started spinning as it charged straight into the Gaoh-Liner._

 _The Gaoh-Liner couldn't react in time as the Zero-Liner's drill plunged straight into the side. The Zero-Liner pushed the Gaoh-Liner across the empty wasteland and into an abandoned building, trapping it under the rubble._

 _The Zero-Liner moves away from the Gaoh-Liner and returns back to Team RWBY and the taros. Deneb hopped off the Zero-Liner and said_ _ **, "This is it, Ruby. Be careful."**_

 _Ruby does a small finger salute and said, "Don't worry, I got it." And in a flash, she dashed off to the Gaoh-Liner, leaving behind a trail of rose petals. Ruby quickly arrived in time as the Gaoh-Liner struggled to escape from the rubble. "I gotta make this fast." Ruby muttered as she enters inside the Gaoh-Liner._

 _She ran down car after car until she arrived at the engine room. Ruby looks around and sees the Gaoh-Liner's bike standing in the middle, also known as the Gaoh-Striker. The bike has a similar design to the Den-Bird and Zero-Horn, but it has a jaw design running along the front of the bike._

 _Ruby takes the quiver off and places the explosive arrows right next to the bike. Ruby takes a deep breath as she picks one up and presses on the timer. The arrow started counting down from ten seconds, causing Ruby to drop the arrow and start running._

" _Shoot! Shoot! Shoot! Shoot! SHOOT!" Ruby shouted as she ran out of the Gaoh-Liner. A trail of rose petals and dust was left behind as she ran as fast as she could back to her team. Ruby started to breathe heavily as sweat poured from her face. Then the explosion occurred, knocking Ruby further away from the Gaoh-Liner._

 _She laid on the ground as everyone gathered around her. "Ruby!" Yang shouted as she pushed through the crowd. "Are you okay?! Are you hurt?!"_

 _Ruby smiled weakly as she put her thumb up and said, "I'm… A-Okay, sis."_

 _Everyone sighed in relief as Ryutaros pointed out_ _ **, "Look! Something is happening!"**_

 _They all stared at the Gaoh-Liner as it slowly began disappearing. "It's fading away." Weiss stated._

 _Urataros rested his rod against his shoulder and said_ _ **, "Well, looks like the Gaoh-Liner situation is handled. All we need to do now is deal with-"**_

" _ **GAH!"**_ _Momotaros' voice interrupted as he was sent flying by Gaoh._

" _MOMOTAROS_ _ **/MOMOTAROS!"**_ _They all shouted as they rushed to his aid._

* * *

Momotaros groaned in pain as Gaoh towered over us. 'Come on, Momotaros. You have to get up.' I muttered.

Momotaros breathed heavily and replied **, "I know that. I ain't gonna give up to this bastard."**

Momotaros slowly got back on his feet, only to get kicked in the face by Gaoh. "Pathetic. I was expecting more of a challenge." Gaoh said as he twirled his sword around. "Looks like this is the true end for the Den-O." He raised his sword in the air and went in for the strike. But the sound of a gunshot ringed in the air as a bullet pierced Gaoh's shoulder. "GAH!" Gaoh shouted as he placed his hand over it.

"MOMOTAROS!" Ruby shouted as she and everyone else rushed towards us. "Sorry that we took too long, we had to deal with the Gaoh-Liner. But worry not! We have successfully stopped it!"

"WHAT?!" Gaoh shouted in anger.

Momotaros snickered and said **, "Well, look at that. Looks like your plans has came crashing down. It's only a matter of time until this era gets all fixed up."**

We were waiting for his response, but what we got was unsettling. Gaoh started laughing maniacally before saying, "So what?! Even though my plans went awry, it won't stop me from killing you all!" Without any warning, Gaoh dashed towards Ryutaros and slashed him across the chest.

" **RYUTA!"** Urataros shouted as Gaoh went after him next. He went in for a vertical strike, but Urataros blocked the attack and whacked him across the face. Gaoh stumbled towards Ruby as she had her weapon pointed at him. But Gaoh had no fear as he charged straight at her. Ruby fired her weapon at Gaoh, piercing his stomach. But that didn't stop him as he pushed Crescent Rose out of the way and grabbed Ruby by the neck.

He started draining Ruby's aura, which didn't sit well at all with Yang. "GET AWAY FROM HER!" Yang shouted as she charged in and punched him in the back of the head, driving his head into the ground.

Deneb rushed over to Ruby and asked **, "Ruby, are you alright?!"**

"I'm fine. Just need a breather." Ruby muttered. Yang stomped over to Gaoh and grabbed him by the head as she was ready to go in for another hit. But Gaoh sweep kicked Yang, causing the tables to turn. Gaoh stood over Yang and began draining some of her aura.

" **NOT SO FAST!"** Kintaros shouted as he slashed Gaoh across the back, knocking him away from Yang. He charged straight towards Gaoh and slashed him across the chest. Kintaros was about to go in for a palm strike, but Gaoh grabbed his arm in time and sweep kick him. Kintaros cried in pain as Gaoh twisted his arm and stabbed him in the back with his sword. But then, Blake came to the rescue as she fired round after round at Gaoh.

"YOU THINK THAT WILL STOP ME?!" Gaoh shouted as he charged straight towards Blake, but she jumped out of the way in time, leaving behind a fire dust clone. Gaoh hit the fire dust clone, sending him flying towards Weiss' direction. A glyph appeared under her feet as it launches Weiss towards Gaoh. From there, she unleashed a fury of slashes and stabs on Gaoh. Weiss was about to go in for a dive kick, but Gaoh grabbed her by the leg and tossed her into the ground.

Weiss was still recovering from the crash until Gaoh landed right on top of her, crushing her beneath his feet. 'WEISS!' I shouted loudly in fear.

" **YOU BASTARD!"** Momotaros shouted as he charged straight in and slashed Gaoh twice across the chest. He then kicks Gaoh back before slashing him again, but Gaoh countered and slashed Momotaros across the chest. They both slowly recover as they strike at the same time, causing their blades to clash with one another.

Their blades grinded against each other until Gaoh pushed Momotaros' swords out of the way and slashed him in the chest. Momotaros stumbled back as Gaoh went in for another strike, it Momotaros saw this coming and countered him by redirecting his attack and thrusting his sword into his stomach.

Gaoh stumbled back as Momotaros slashed upwards, knocking him back. He stumbled backwards as he regained his composure and struck back, hitting Momotaros in the shoulder.

Momotaros and Gaoh stood in place, breathing heavily. Momotaros snickered and said **, "What's wrong? Tired already? We're about to reach the climax."**

Gaoh rested his sword against his shoulder and asked, "Then why don't we make this interesting?" He pulled out he Master Pass and placed it in front of his belt.

 **FULL CHARGE**

" **You want a big climax? Then let's go."** Momotaros said as he placed the pass over the belt.

 **FULL CHARGE**

" **One more."** Momotaros said as he placed the pass in front of the belt again.

 **FULL CHARGE**

I could hear everyone's reaction as Blake said, "Is he serious?"

" **Looks like he's going all in. This could end badly."** Urataros stated.

" **MOMOJI! YOU BETTER NOT MISS THIS SHOT!"** Kintaros shouted.

"You got this Momotaros!" Yang and Ruby shouted.

" **Don't fail Baka-Momo!"** Ryutaros shouted.

Deneb held his cape with anxiety as he said **, "Momotaros! You can do it!"**

Weiss stared at us as I hear her say, "Kurokuu. Momotaros. You can do this."

Momotaros laughed as he asked **, "Hear that, Kurokuu? We're in the spotlight."**

I chuckled a little and replied, 'Yeah, we are. Then let's give them what they want. A victory!'

Monitor laughed once more and said **, "Now that's what I like to hear!"** Momotaros got in position as he said **, "This is my real hissatsu attack. VOLUME FINALE VERSION!"** Their battle cries filled the air as Momotaros and Gaoh charged towards each other. Suddenly, the sound of their loud battle cries stopped as they exchanged their final blow.

Silence filled the air as Team RWBY, the taros, and Deneb watch in anticipation. Momotaros breathed heavily as he fell on his knees. Then our armor dematerialized, separating me and Momotaros. I felt aches and pains around my body as some blood dripped from my mouth. I looked over to Momotaros as he was in the same condition that I was.

We turned around and saw that Gaoh was still in his armor, completely fine. He slowly turned towards us as I noticed electricity and sparks coming off of him. Gaoh dropped his sword as he fell on his knees and spontaneously exploded. Smoke filled the air as we all coughed while trying to get the smoke away from us. The smoke finally died down as Gaoh, not in his armor, fell backwards.

This is it. It's over. It's finally over! Gaoh is defeated! "YOU GUYS REALLY DID IT!" Ruby shouted as she and everyone else rushed towards us. Deneb, on the other hand, walked towards to Gaoh as his armor dematerialize, splitting Deneb and Shuichi apart.

Kintaros and Urataros picked me and Momotaros off the ground as Kintaros said **, "Momoji, you actually did something for once."**

" **WHAT'RE YOU TALKING ABOUT KUMA?! I GOT KUROKUU'S MEMORIES BACK AND STOPPED THAT GAOH BASTARD! WHAT DID YOU DO OTHER THAN SIT ON YOUR BUTTS ALL DAY?!"** Momotaros shouted as he tried wiggling free out of Urataros' grasps.

Urataros held his arms back and said **, "Senpai, please calm down. Kin-chan is just joking!"**

Ryutaros skipped towards Momotaros and patted him on the head. " **Wai! Baka-Momo saved us!"**

" **BAKA-MOMO?! COME YOU HERE YOU LITTLE BRAT!"** Momotaros threatened as he attempted to escape again.

Blake and Ruby helped Weiss and Yang up as they make their way towards me and Kintaros. Weiss clutched her side in pain as she asked me, "Kurokuu, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Weiss. I should be asking you the same question." I said while wiping some blood off of my mouth.

"I'm fine, really." Weiss said before a whimper slipped out of her mouth.

"Yeah, sure." I said with a smile.

Ruby massaged her neck and said, "Well, guys. It's over. Gaoh is defeated, the Gaoh-Liner is gone, the White Fang soldiers are stuck in the Great War era, and time will soon fix all the damages the Gaoh-Liner caused."

"Yep. This has been one wild ride, isn't it?" Yang asked everyone.

Blake nodded in agreement. "Yes, it was. But in the end, it's all worth it. Gaoh is gone for good." Just as she said that, a portal opened up in the sky as the Den-Liner exited out of it. The cry of the Den-Liner filled the air as it made a landing. The door opened as my younger self, Mai, Doctor Oobleck, and The Owner boarded off the train.

"Kurokuu!" My younger self shouted as he ran towards me. "Are you alright? You have bruises everywhere!"

I smiled and ruffled his hair around. "I'm fine, Kurokuu. It's gonna take more than bruises to stop me!" I said until I felt an aching pain coming from my side, causing me to wince.

Doctor Oobleck was helping Mai as they limped towards us. Mai looked at me and asked, "Is he gone? Is Gaoh…"

"He's gone for good." Blake reassured. "Shuichi and Deneb are checking up on him." We all turned around as we see Shuichi and Deneb walking towards us. "And speaking of Shuichi and Deneb…."

"So... is Gaoh gone for good?" Ruby asked.

Shuichi nodded yes in response. "Yep, he succumbed to his wounds and died on the spot. But… the Master Pass and Infinity Ticket has vanished." Shuichi notified.

"It is probably for the best. We cannot let history repeat itself again if it was still active." The Owner said.

"Well!" Doctor Oobleck shouted. "We have been through a lot in the past several days. I think it's best that we should return back to our present time and back to Beacon. Our headmaster might be worried about our missing presence. And I think Mai here needs some medical attention."

"Wait." I said to Doctor Oobleck. "We need to drop my younger self back to his original time."

Doctor Oobleck ponders for a moment and said, "Well, I can understand that this is quite important to you. Well, then! Mr. Nakamura, Deneb, it would be best if we return to Beacon first and report about our mission!"

"Sounds like a plan." Shuichi said as he and Deneb led Doctor Oobleck and Mai towards the Zero-Liner. Everyone got on as Shuichi shouted, "Stay safe everyone!" The Zero-Liner began picking up speed as it took off into the sky. A random portal opened up as the Zero-Liner entered it.

We all stared at the sky as The Owner said, "Well, I think we have wasted enough time being here. I suggest we bring our young Kurokuu back to where he belongs." We all nodded in agreement as we boarded on the Den-Liner. The Den-Liner began picking up speed as we took off into the sky.

* * *

We all sat quietly as Naomi tends to our wounds. Yang, Ruby, and Weiss all had salonpas on their bodies so that the aura could focus on healing that specific area. Yang and Weiss with their backs, and Ruby with her neck. Momotaros and I, on the other hand, were laying on pillows with ice packs placed near our bruises.

We all sat quietly as The Owner was eating his usual fried rice with a flag on top. I asked him, "Are we there yet?"

As I said that, his spoon accidentally knocked the flag over, causing him to gasp while making a wide-eyed expression on his face. His facial expression went back to normal as he stood up and said, "Not yet. I was meaning to make one more stop."

Just as he said that, I hear my younger self exclaiming, "Hey, look! It's snowing!" We all rushed towards the window as we see snow fluttering towards the ground. I looked around and noticed that we were in front of the Milk Dipper, but that wasn't what caught my attention. Standing at the door, I saw Kasumi, who looks nineteen here, and two other individuals. One was a man with a tanned complexion, dark brown eyes, and short dark brown hair. He was wearing a black sweater, blue jeans, and a red muffler. The other is a woman with a slight tanned complexion, light brown hair, and dark brown eyes. She's seen wearing a white puffy sweater and dark blue jeans. And in her hands, she is holding a baby boy.

I felt some tears forming at the corner of my eyes as I realized who they were. My parents. I see them and Kasumi waving at the train as I heard my dad say, "Look, Kurokuu! A train!"

I looked over to my younger self, who had the same reaction that I had. I wiped my tears away along with his as we both waved goodbye to them, even if they didn't know who we were. The Den-Liner started to pick up speed again as we left that era to go back to 2010.

"Kurokuu, I'd like to talk to you." The Owner called out.

I stepped away from the window up as he led me into another car. "I just want to say… thank you. For all of this." I thanked him graciously.

"It's no problem at all. But once we arrive in the year 2010, we need to wipe Kurokuu's memories of all of this. We can't allow him to know about this." The Owner notified.

Then I started to feel remorse for my younger self. We saw our parents for the first time, and he wouldn't be able to remember a thing. "Maybe we can let this slide. He's a singular point like me, it won't affect him." I tried negotiating.

"I'm sorry, it's something we have to follow. If he learns and remembers the future, it can cause ripples through time that would change and distort the original events, and it wouldn't be for the better. So it's best that we don't take that risk."

I sighed in defeat and said, "I understand. How would you cause him to forget about this whole thing?"

He then handed me some type of tool that has a black button on the side. "To wipe his memories, you need to press the black button and shine it into his eyes. The light that you'll be shining has waves that will disrupt the brain and erase any long term memory he has of this event. But be very careful when using this, make sure no one else looks at this while you're doing this. Understand?" I nodded yes in response. "Good."

I took a deep breath as I walked back into the dining car. Everyone stared at me, except my younger self, as I asked everyone, "Is it okay if you'd leave the car for a moment? It won't take long."

They were all confused, but they complied as they began leaving the dining car. Weiss saw the look on my face as she placed her hand on my shoulder and asked, "Kurokuu, is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine. I just need to talk to my younger self for a moment." I replied. She stared at the tool I had in my hand, but she didn't say a word and walked out the car. Silence filled the air as I slowly walk over to my younger self. It looked like he was drawing a picture of the family. Complete with baby me, mom, dad, and Kasumi.

He had the biggest smile on his face as he said, "Look what I drew! A picture of our family! Now, we can remember them forever."

"Yeah, that's right." I said. As my younger self added the finishing touches, I reached my hand out and grabbed his. "Kurokuu, I just want to say… that I'm glad that you were with me through all of this."

"No, I should be thanking you. You taught me so many things throughout my adventure with you guys. Lessons that I'll hold dear for the rest of my life. Thank you." My younger self said as he stood up from his side of the bench and walked over to me. He opened up his arms and gave me the biggest hug.

I was caught off-guard by his sudden embrace, but I hugged him back in return. He finally lets go as I said, "I'm glad that you'll remember the things I taught you. But like I said before…" I pulled out the tool and pressed the black button. It shined a red light into his eyes as he fell unconscious on the spot. Luckily, I caught him just in time and said, "...It's something that we'll learn over time." I looked over to at the picture once more as I saw the smiling faces on it.

But then, I realized what I could do. I grabbed the paper and shoved it in my pockets before carrying my younger self on my back. "Hey, guys. You can come in." I called out.

Everyone walked in, including The Owner, and noticed the unconscious Kurokuu on my back. "What happened to him?" Blake asked.

I took a deep breath and said, "I had to wipe his memory of this entire event."

Everyone fell silent until Urataros said **, "Well, it's for the best. We wouldn't want to alter the future."**

"Exactly." The Owner said as he walked towards me. I handed the tool back to The Owner as he continued, "Well, we arrived at our station. Will someone accompany Kurokuu to drop his younger self off?"

"I will." Weiss said. We both looked at each other before walking towards the exit of the dining car and boarded off the Den-Liner. It was already night time as the door of the Milk Dipper was still opened. We entered inside and saw that everything was still in place. I walked over to the counter and placed him on the chair in a sleeping position, with his head in his arms.

Weiss placed her hand on my shoulder and said, "I'm sorry for what you had to do."

"It's fine. It's best if he doesn't remember." I replied. Then I reached into my pocket and pulled out the drawing he drew.

"What is that?" Weiss asked.

I stared at the drawing and said, "It's… the drawing of us and our family. We lost the original photo, so he made this so he could remember them for the rest of his life."

"Are you going to leave it behind for him?"

I took a deep breath and said, "Yeah. I think this is something that he'll cherish for a very long time. I know he will. But, he'll learn to move on like I did." I carefully slip the drawing under his arms, trying my best not to wake him up. "We should get going. We can't keep them waiting any longer."

"Sounds good." Weiss said as we both headed towards the exit.

I look back towards him one last time and said, "Goodbye, Kurokuu." And with that, we both exit the Milk Dipper, leaving my younger self with a special souvenir from the future.

* * *

 _September 28, 2017 10:08 P.M._

 _Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury stood quietly at the rooftops as they await for Gaoh's return. Cinder stared at her scroll as she saw that he was eight minutes late. "Well, it looks like Gaoh failed." Cinder said with a hint of anger in her voice._

 _Mercury scoffed and said, "Why am I not surprised?"_

" _So do we initiate plan B?" Emerald asked._

" _Well, plan B is the only other successful option we can do. But it'll require a lot more work than before since we decided to place our trust in Gaoh." Cinder said._

" _Yes, but what about the White Fang? Gaoh got many of them killed. Will they still listen to us?"_

" _No, but they'll listen to me." A voice said. They all turned around and saw the bull faunus themselves, Adam Taurus. "As long as they know what they're fighting for, they'll keep following through with the plan."_

" _Then… what about… the King?" Emerald asked with a hint of fear in her voice._

" _Did somebody call me?" They all turned their heads around once more as they see a man sitting on the rooftops across from them. He is seeing reading a calendar as he puts it down and asks, "And what is it that you don't want to tell me?"_

* * *

(A/N:) So... what did you think? Then again, if you're reading up to this point, you've probably read the whole thing. Either than or you're just skipping ahead. Anyways, I did some minor changes in order to add some development for Weiss and Kurokuu's relationship as well as the development of the younger kurokuu. In the movie, it kinda felt like a story from point A to B. Not much development in characters, but more of comedy and action. Which is fine, but I'm not very good at writing out actions scenes, so I try to limit that situation. And what I didn't like much about the movie was how Ryoutaro just magically remembers on the spot. It was just something that kinda made me confused. But what made me not like the movie was Gaoh's motive. He simply just states how he hates time, but not why he hates time. So I decided to come up with a more developed reason why he would erase time.

Once again, I'm so so so sorry for making you all wait. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you in the next one. BYE!


	21. Chapter 21: A Climatic First Date

(A/N:) HEY EVERYONE! AND HAPPY THANKS- Wait, it's already over? Well, guess I'm late to the party. That's pretty awkward. But hey, at least I did my monthly chapter! Anyways, hey everyone and Happy Late Thanksgiving. I hope you all had a wonderful time. I know I did! I got myself a new laptop for Black Friday! But, I had to go through several fist fights just to get it (JK btw). Anyways, welcome to a new chapter of Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time. If you remember last chapter, we have finished the Volume 2/ movie finale. And now, I kinda wanna take this time to focus on some Den-O stuff before getting into Volume 3! As always, leave a review on what you thought about this chapter and I hope you enjoy!

 **Wyvernsaurus:** **Well, the problem with keeping the Gaoh-Liner is that I have to find a way to integrate it into the main story. Also, if anyone got their hands on it and knows how to use it, it would be OP and everyone would be dead. Just like that, game over! Salem wins! Remnant is conquered by Grimms! So, to keep it simple, I decided to just destroy the Gaoh-Liner. Also, perfect name for Mai! LADY DEN-O!**

 **Kamen Pegasus:** **Well, I'm glad that you enjoyed the finale! And yes, I have a lot of things planned for Kurokuu, Shuichi, Mai, and the rest of the RWBY and Den-O cast, so I hope you stick around to see it happen!**

I do not I own the rights to the series RWBY or Kamen Rider. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth Productions and The Kamen Rider Series is owned by Toei Company

"Normal Speech"

'Thoughts/Inner communication between OC and imagin'

 _"Third Person/Flashback"_

 **"Imagin speech"**

* * *

 _It was a quiet night at the VPD. Ever since the dock incident from a few months back, crime in Vale has been low since they caught one of the most notorious criminals in Remnant, Roman Torchwick._

 _And now, he's locked behind bars, ensuring that he won't escape. Inside his cell, Roman is seen casually laying in his bed, staring at the ceiling as time flies by. Instead of his usual attire, he's wearing a gray jumpsuit._

 _Roman sighs and said to himself sarcastically, "This is the life."_

 _Just as he said that, knocking was heard on the door as the guard said, "Get up."_

" _I prefer to stay where I am, thank you very little." Roman replied. The door opens as two guards entered the cell and pulled Roman out of bed. "Easy there. I don't appreciate you numb skulls ruining my face." They simply ignored and handcuffed him behind his back._

 _They picked him back up and began taking him out of the cell and down the hall. They made a left as they made their way to the interrogation room. They opened the door and placed Roman in a chair before leaving him in the room by himself._

" _Geez. This is why I hate cops." Roman said as he places his feet on his table._

 _Several minutes passed as Roman waited patiently in the room. Then, the door opened, revealing the person to be General Ironwood. "Torchwick." Ironwood said as he entered the room._

" _Well, well, well. If it isn't the headmaster and General of Atlas Academy, General Ironwood. What do you want?" Roman asked._

 _Ironwood sat in front of Roman as he said, "I've seen the report. You were arrested at the docks when you were caught trying to steal SDC cargo. As for why is still unknown. I've heard you haven't been cooperative."_

" _Well, I never worked well with cops."_

 _Ironwood pulled out his scroll and said, "Well, I'm no cop, but I have my ways in finding my answers. Now…" He opens his scroll up and taps on the video footage of Cinder infiltrating the CCT Tower. "Do you know who that is?"_

 _Roman stared at the picture for a bit until he replied, "I don't know. Why?"_

" _A few weeks ago, this person infiltrated our CCT Tower and left. We suspect that she could be involved with the White Fang. And since you had White Fang soldiers working with you, I'm asking you if you know who she is."_

" _Like I said, I don't know. She doesn't look familiar to me at all."_

 _Ironwood stares at Torchwick in the eye until he pulls out a badge. The badge has an Atlas logo on one side and a Den-O logo on the other. "Eve, is he telling the truth?" Ironwood asked._

 _Suddenly, a hologram of a human head appeared as Eve replied **, "Heartbeat indicates that Roman Torchwick is lying."**_

" _Huh, looks like Atlas got some new fancy tech. Should've stolen that instead of dust." Roman commented._

" _Roman, tell me who's that woman in the footage. And don't bother lying, Eve will know." Ironwood said as he set Eve down in the table. Roman still remained silent, causing General Ironwood to groan under his breath. "I'm running out of patience." Ironwood said as he clenched his hand into a fist tightly. Roman smirked at him and didn't utter a single word. "You asked for this."_

 _Ironwood stood behind Roman and slammed his face against the table. "OW!" Roman shouted as he rubbed his nose in pain. Ironwood quickly grabbed Roman by the collar as Roman shouted, "Alright! Alright! I'll talk! Just don't ruin the face again!" General Ironwood stared straight into Roman's eyes before releasing him._

 _Roman sits back down as Ironwood asks once more, "Who is she?"_

 _Roman sighed and replied, "She's my contractor. She told me to steal some dust for her and the White Fang, and I would get paid for doing it. But, she never gave me the money since… you know. Getting caught."_

" _What is her motive?" Ironwood asked._

" _Don't know. It was strictly business. I don't care what she does with the dust, just as long as I get paid."_

 _General Ironwood stared at Roman and asked, "Eve?"_

 **"** _ **Heartbeat indicates that Roman Torchwick is telling the truth."** Eve replied._

 _General Ironwood sighed loudly as he got up from his seat and said, "Thank you for your cooperation." He took Eve and placed it back into his coat before walking out of the room, leaving Roman himself again. As General Ironwood leaves the VPD, his scroll starts ringing. He picks up the scroll and saw that it was Professor Ozpin calling. "Yes, Ozpin?"_

" _Come back to my office. We have some things to discuss." Professor Ozpin said._

" _Yes, I'll be there soon." General Ironwood said before hanging up._

* * *

 **Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time**

 **Chapter 21: A Climatic First Date**

* * *

It has been a few days since we defeated Gaoh. After dropping my younger self off back into his time, we returned to Beacon and gave Professor Ozpin our mission briefing. Afterwards, he gave us a week off of school to recover, and thank Oum we needed that. It took us three days to fully recover from the wounds we sustained.

And now, Mai and I are having lunch with Team RWBY and JNPR as Ruby tells them about our mission. Shuichi and Deneb wasn't eating with us, doing Oum knows what since they rarely eat with us.

"And then what happened?!" Nora asked with excitement.

"After I destroyed the Gaoh-Liner, Gaoh appeared and attacked all of us!" Ruby said with suspense as she stood on the bench. She started mimicking some the sword fight as she continued, "And Gaoh was all like, 'I'll kill all of you!' And we were like 'Ha! No way!' And the battle went on for a very long time until I pulled out my trump card and save the day!"

Nora gasped loudly as she asked, "What was it?"

"Uh…"

Blake sighed and explained, "She didn't save the day. Gaoh held his own against all of us. It took awhile to knock him down, but Kurokuu and Momotaros did the finishing blow."

Team JNPR all nodded their heads at the same time. "So, uh… where were you in the fight, Mai? Ruby didn't really mentioned you."

Mai started laughing with a hint of anger as she said, "Well, I would've joined if it wasn't for a certain dumb, red imagin didn't possess me and almost got me killed!"

"I shouldn't have asked that." Jaune said nervously.

As the conversation kept going, all I could do was stare and think about Weiss. We went through a lot together and I've always seen her as a friend. But now, I'm not so sure anymore. But that begs the question, should I ask her? Asking her this could jeopardize everything I have with her. Is it worth the risk? "Hello? Remnant to Kurokuu? You there?" Oh crap, I spaced out! Yang waved her hand over my face and said, "Hey, you there?"

I blinked for a bit before saying, "Uh...yeah! I'm here! I was listening!"

"Uh, huh. Then what were we talking about?" Yang asked with a grin on her face.

Crap. Crap. CRAP! YANG, WHY DID YOU HAVE TO DO THIS TO ME? "Uh…. our mission?" I answered with uncertainty.

"We passed that conversation five minutes ago." Yang said as she snickered. "What were you thinking about that made you forget about us?"

I felt everyone's eyes looking towards me, including Weiss. Oh man, I haven't felt this embarrassed in so long! Please, someone just end my suffering, please!

My prayers were soon answered as the bell rang, signaling everyone that lunch was over. "Well, looks like lunch is over." Ruby said as they all got up from their seats. "You guys wanna meet up at six for some training?"

"That sounds like a lovely idea. It's good to get in shape for the Vytal festival coming up." Pyrrha replied.

"Yep. We'll join in on the training." Jaune said.

"Great!" Ruby said as she turned to Mai and asked, "How about you guys?"

"Sure. We have nothing better to do. Right, Kurokuu?" Mai said as she ruffled my hair.

"Cool, see you guys later!" Ruby said as she and her team headed off towards their dorms along with Team JNPR.

I was about to get up and go along with them until Mai puts her hand on my shoulder. "Wait. We need to talk." Mai said.

"Talk about what?" I asked.

She didn't give me any replies as we waited for everyone to leave the cafeteria. I sat silently, wondering what she wants to talk to me about. Is it something relating to the training later? Maybe something that I forgot?

Once all the students left, Mai sat at a bench in front of me and asked, "Kurokuu, is everything alright?"

Am I alright? Why is she asking me that for? "Uh… yeah? I think I'm fine." I replied nervously.

"You 'think'?" Mai asked again. Okay, what is she trying to say?

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Mai sighed and stood up from her bench before walking towards me. She stood tall over me as she said, "Well, you don't seem like yourself recently. You kinda just… space out or have a deep thinking expression on your face when you're with us." My eyes widen as I realized what she meant. The Weiss situation.

I waved my hands side to side and said, " Oh, no! There's nothing wrong at all! I've just… haven't been getting much sleep. You know… catching up with school work, you know?!"

Mai had a deadpanned expression on her face as she said, "Kurokuu. We're on a week break. We have no school work." Shoot! I should've thought of a better excuse! "Kurokuu, if something's wrong, just tell me. You have nothing to hide."

"Uh… well. It's...um…" I muttered awkwardly as I scratched the back of my head. Those were the only words that came out of my mouth. And now, I look like a complete idiot. Suddenly, sand poured off me as Urataros made his appearance. "Urataros, what're you doing here?" I asked.

Urataros raised his hand and answered **, "Well, I'm here to explain."** I was confused by what he meant by that until he said **, "Kurokuu here is thinking about asking Weiss out."**

I immediately felt my eyes falling out of my sockets as I jumped in between them and shouted, "NO! NONONONO! THAT'S NOT TRUE! URATAROS, YOU SHOULD STOP LYING!" I turned towards Urataros and whispered, "How did you know about that?"

Urataros made he same deadpanned expression like Mai as he replied **, "When you were in the dorms by yourself, you think out loud for us to hear."**

"...What?" I muttered. I think out loud? Since when has that became a habit?!

" **Yep. You talk to yourself a lot when you're contemplating."**

Mai sighed and said, "Is that it? Kurokuu, you have nothing to be nervous about. I mean, you already asked Weiss to the dance. What's so hard about asking her out on a date?"

"Well… it's not that asking part that's bad. It's the date part." I answered. I soon felt the urge to get up as I continued, "A dance is one thing, but a date is something else! I don't know what to do on a date! I never been on one before!"

"Kurokuu, I'm sure Weiss is happy to go on any date you're planning. All it matters is that she gets to go with you."

"Yeah, but… I just want it to be special for her." I sat back down and continued, "Weiss has been by my side since day one. She got my memories back and helped me when I was at my lowest. No offense to you guys, you guys helped me too."

" **None taken."** Urataros said.

"So that's why I want to make this date special for her. And maybe..."

Mai had a small grin on her face as she walked over to me and wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "Say no more, Kurokuu. I'll help you with your date."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yep." Mai answered as he ruffled my hair. "I'll make sure you two have the best date of your lives."

Urataros then cuts in as he said **, "Well, Kurokuu. The person you should be asking is me. Side with me and you'll reel in Weiss' heart."**

"Yeah, right. All you'll do is chase her away." Mai said as she looked back at me. "Kurokuu, you should trust me. I know a few things about what a girl likes on a date."

Just as Mai said that, Momotaros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros appeared. "Guys? What're you doing here?" I asked.

" **Trying to stop this turtle bastard!"** Momotaros replied. " **OI! YOU PUT SLEEPING PILLS IN MY COFFEE AGAIN!"**

Urataros played the victim card and said **, "I don't know what you're talking about."**

" **YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!"**

Urataros sighed and said **, "Well, it was for an emergency. Kurokuu here needs help with his first date with Weiss."**

Momotaros had a surprised look on his face as he turned towards me and asked **, "Is that true?!"** I nodded my head yes nervously. " **You wanna know a perfect date plan? A classic dinner. Complete with fancy food and the best pudding."**

Kintaros cracked his neck and said **, "Momoji, that's so boring. Weiss is a very rich girl, so eating at a fancy restaurant is nothing new. I say you should take her to the mountains of Mistral! Just imagine it, it's a perfect romantic atmosphere. Cherry blossoms fluttering down as you and Weiss watch the stars. Then, you look into her eyes as she does the same! And then-"**

" **-That's a dumb idea, Kuma-chan!"** Ryutaros interrupted as he pushes Kintaros aside. " **You should go to the club! They have the best music! And when you're there, you can win Weiss-chan over with your dance moves!"**

Mai sighed and said, "Don't listen to them. We can think of a better idea together."

" **Kurokuu, you haven't even given me a chance yet."** Urataros said.

Mai took a deep breath and asked, "Okay then, what do you have in mind?"

" **Two words. Amusement Park."** Urataros said as he showed off two tickets Tropical Land. " **Kintaros is right about going to a fancy restaurant. Weiss would've seen it coming. So, I believe bringing her to Tropical Land is a new and fun experience for the both of you."**

"Wow. That's actually a good idea." Mai admitted, and I couldn't agree with her more. Weiss has stayed in Atlas for most of her life. Always stuck in her mansion by her father. She probably never had the opportunity to go out and have fun.

I smile with glee as I said, "Urataros, thank you so much for the help."

Urataros smirked as he handed the tickets to me and said **, "No need to thank me yet. Once you ask Weiss, I'll teach you everything you need to know in order to reel her in."**

"Urataros, I think you've done enough. Thanks for helping Kurokuu with the tickets, but I don't want you turning him into a Casanova." Mai interrupted. She turns towards me and placed her hands on my shoulder and said, "Kurokuu, just be yourself. That's why Weiss likes you to begin with. Don't be like Urataros."

I nodded my head yes and said, "Alright, I won't. Thanks for the help, guys."

" **No problem, Kurokuu. All in the days work."** Momotaros said as his head was held high.

Kintaros and Ryutaros stared at him as they said at the same time **, "You didn't help at all."**

" **Yes I did!"** Momotaros shouted.

" **No, you gave Kurokuu a dumb idea!"** Ryutaros said as he poked Momotaros' nose.

" **IT'S NOT DUMB!"** Momotaros shouted as he chased Ryutaros around the room.

Urataros and Kintaros sighed in unison as Urataros said **, "We'll handle this. Kurokuu, good luck."** And with that, the taros all returned back to the Den-Liner.

I stared at the Tropical Land tickets once more as Mai said, "Well, we're gonna train with Team RWBY and JNPR today. Maybe after training, you can ask Weiss then."

"Sounds like a good idea." I replied as me and Mai left the cafeteria.

* * *

 _Meanwhile on the Den-Liner, Momotaros was trying to chase Ryutaros, but Kintaros and Urataros prevented him from doing so._ " _ **Senpai, calm down! We can't fight in the dining car, remember!"**_ _Urataros reminded as he struggled to hold Momotaros back._

 _Momotaros kept on going until he eventually gave up, knowing that he can't escape from Kintaros' grasp. He inhaled deeply before sitting down on a random bench, trying to calm down._ " _ **Fine. The runt's not worth it."**_ _Momotaros muttered._ " _ **Wait a minute, you and I still need to settle this!"**_

" _ **What're you talking about?"**_ _Urataros said as he walked away._

" _ **You know exactly what I mea-"**_ _Momotaros cuts himself off as he notices sand flying off of Urataros. Momotaros backs away as he turns around to Kintaros and Ryutaros._

 _They also had sand coming off of them as Ryutaros laid on the bench and asked everyone_ _ **, "Guys, do you feel tired?"**_

 _Everyone remained deadly quiet. Momotaros had a stoic expression on his face as he stared at his own hands. Much to his relief, Momotaros isn't suffering the same effects, but the others aren't so lucky. Because sooner or later, their time will run out._

* * *

 _Several Hours Later_

Mai and I walked towards the amphitheater building to meet up with Team RWBY and JNPR. As we were walking, Mai checked her scroll constantly as she muttered angrily, "Where the hell is Shuichi and Deneb?"

"Maybe they're running late?" I suggested.

"Doing what though?" Mai said as she texted them once more. We finally arrived at the entrance of the amphitheater, where the door was already opened. We stood in front of the entrance as Mai turned towards me and said, "Alright, Kurokuu. Remember what I told you."

"When I walk up to Weiss, ask her with confidence and be myself. No cheesy pick-up lines or stuff like that, I know. I got this." I said with some confidence. I looked at the entrance once more as I soon felt nervousness set in. "I… think I got this."

Mai sighed as she placed her hands firmly on my shoulders. "No, you do got this."

I took a deep breath as I soon regain my confidence. "Right! I can do this!" I said loudly.

"Am I missing something here?" Mai and I turned to the voice and saw Shuichi and Deneb walking from the left side of the amphitheater?

Mai had an angry look on her face as she marched towards them and shouted, "Where were you guys?! I told you that we had practice today at six. Now, it's 6:20!"

Deneb bowed his head down and apologized **, "I'm very sorry. We were just caught up on the time, we forgot to check our scrolls."**

"Yeah. You text me over hundred times." Shuichi said as he showed his scroll to us. On the scroll, it showed hundreds of notification coming from Mai. "Next time, just put a bunch of words in one text rather than making one word per text."

"WELL, HOW ELSE WAS I SUPPOSED TO GET YOU TO PICK UP YOUR SCROLLS?!" Mai shouted. I could see Mai gripping her scroll so tightly that the sides of it are starting to crack.

Trying to diffuse the situation, I got in between both of them and said, "Guys, that's enough. Shuichi and Deneb is here now. That's all that matters. So please, let's just drop it."

Mai took a deep breath and said, "Alright, I'll stop." She turned towards Shuichi and pointed at him while saying, "Next time, answer my text the first time. Got it?!"

Shuichi rolled his eyes and said, "Got it."

"Good." Mai said as we entered inside. We walked down the hall until we saw the door to the arena. We entered inside and saw Team RWBY and JNPR sparring with one another. Ruby is fighting Jaune, Weiss is fighting Pyrrha, Blake is fighting Ren, and Yang is fighting Nora.

They all stopped as soon as we made our appearance. Ruby looked up and waved at us. "Hello, Team MSKD! You finally made it!" She shouted.

"Sorry that we took a while. We had some…issues to sort out." Mai apologized.

"Well, you're here now. Shall we begin?" Pyrrha asked.

"Gladly. I'm up for round two with the invincible girl." Shuichi said as he cracked his hands. We made our way down to the arena and into the locker room. I changed out of my uniform and into my battle attire while everyone else got their weapons ready. After doing so, we exit the locker room and enter back into the arena where Team RWBY and JNPR were laying against the wall.

We walked up to them as I asked, "So, how are we gonna do this?"

Ruby got up and said, "Well, I've been thinking we should do a three way team battle! We all go against each other."

"I can get behind that." Jaune said as he used his sword to pick himself back up.

"Sounds good. Do we play by tournament rules?" Mai asked.

"Yep! The team who are all knocked out of the ring or has low aura are out of the game." Ruby said with a smirk on her face. She opened Crescent Rose up as she asked, "Are you guys ready?"

The rest of Team RWBY and JNPR got up and prepared themselves as we did the same. I summoned the Momotarosword and said, "Yep. We're ready."

"Alright then. EVERYONE GET TO YOUR CORNERS!" Ruby shouted as she and her team went to her corner. Our team and Team JNPR did the same as we got to our own corner. As Mai and Shuichi loaded their arrow onto their weapons, I looked over to Weiss and saw her staring at me.

I did a small finger salute, which caused her to smirk as she spun the cylinder of Myrtenaster. Ruby cocked her weapon as she said, "In five, four, three, two, one, go!" The moment she said go, we all charged into battle.

Mai and Shuichi were in the front as she shouted, "Kurokuu! Deneb! Shield your eyes!" We both immediately complied as we both faced the other direction and covered our eyes. Then, we heard Mai and Shuichi firing off their arrows as it started beeping loudly. The beeping sound kept on getting faster and faster until I heard a loud explosion sound, followed up with the sound of Team RWBY and JNPR shouting in pain.

Deneb and I faced back and saw that Team RWBY and JNPR were blinded by a stun arrow. "Now's our chance! We need to take down Team JNPR!" Mai shouted. We both followed her lead as we charged towards them.

My first opponent to enter my line of sight was Jaune, who was wildly swinging his sword around. Seeing how opened he was, I charged towards Jaune and tackled him down. Jaune yelped loudly as he kicked me off of him. We both got up at the same time as Jaune wiped his eyes frustratingly. Jaune's eyes were squinting as he asked, "Kurokuu?"

"Ready for round two?" I asked before charging in with an overhead strike. But, he quickly reacted in time and parrying the attack with his sword. I looked to his left and saw that he was about to whack me with his shield, so I quickly back flipped away. I switched my Momotarosword out with the Uratarod and charged straight in with a thrust to the gut, knocking him back. Since Jaune was caught off-guard, I took this advantage and went in for a downward strike. But, Jaune managed to recover and block the attack with his shield, causing the Uratarod to break upon impact.

I stared in shock as I picked up the two broke pieces, only for it to dissipate. What the hell just happened? Why did the Uratarod break?! "RAAAAAGH!" I hear Jaune cry out as he charged towards me. I started to panic as I stood there, unable to make a move.

" **KUROKUU!"** Deneb shouted as he fired off round after round at Jaune, pushing him back. " **NOW'S YOUR CHANCE! GO!"** Just as he said that, Nora came in and swung Magnhild into Deneb, launching him out of the arena and into the bleachers.

"DENEB!" Shuichi shouted as he held his own against Pyrrha.

I quickly got back up and summoned the Momotarosword again and charged back into battle. I see Jaune going in for a vertical strike, so I quickly parried the attack and slashed Jaune's arm. He winced in pain as I was about to go in for another attack. "HYAH!" I hear Weiss cry out as I saw a three fireballs coming straight at me.

Acting on instinct, I deflected the first two fireballs before dodging the last one. But, this let me wide open as Weiss charged straight towards me and slashed me across my left arm. I winced from the pain as she pulls her weapon away and goes in for another strike, but I quickly recovered and dodged out of the way. Since she missed her strike, I grabbed onto the blade of her weapon and yanked her towards me so I could kick her in the stomach, which caused her to let go of her weapon.

I threw Myrtenaster on the ground as I went in for a straight punch, but Jaune jumped in and blocked my punch with his shield. I felt immense pain in my hand as I cried out loudly, "OW!" Then, Jaune whacked me in the face with his shield, knocking me down to the ground. As Jaune charged towards me, I felt Myrtenaster right next to me. I looked at Weiss as she gestured to me to toss her the weapon.

I started to hesitate as I thought of how the situation play out. Let Jaune beat me or Weiss beat me and Jaune. Or she decides to help me beat Jaune? Which situation gives me a chance to win? I sighed as I soon realize that I might regret this decision later. I tossed Myrtenaster back to Weiss as she caught it in her hands. She then planted her weapon into the ground as a black glyph appeared under Jaune's feet. Jaune froze as the black glyph pulled him away from me and towards Weiss.

Weiss spun the cylinder around before planting the blade into the ground again, causing the glyph to turn white and encasing Jaune in ice. I looked at Weiss as she said, "Take him out!"

I got back up on my feet and summoned the Ryuvolver. I pointed the gun at Jaune as a ball of purple energy is forming at the barrel. I snickered as I shouted, "KABOOM!"

With a pull of a trigger, I fired the energy blast. But as it got closer to Jaune, I hear Pyrrha shouting, "Jaune!" I looked over to her as she threw her shield towards the energy blast. Pyrrha had her hand out as I saw the shield shift at an angle. I was confused about why she would do that until I saw it play out.

The blast ricocheted off the shield and into Weiss, launching her out of the arena and into the bleachers. "WEISS!" Ruby shouted loudly in defeat.

Crap! She messed up my shot and saved Jaune! Pyrrha looked over to Ren, who was holding off Blake and Mai, and said, "Ren! Get Jaune out of the ice!"

Ren nodded as he kicks Blake away and dashes towards Jaune. "Don't even think about it!" Mai shouted as she grabbed Ren from behind. Her arm glowed white as she punches Ren, causing him to experience the slow down effect. Then in one kick, Mai kicks Ren out of the arena. She looks back at me and said, "Kurokuu, you know what to do!"

"Got it!" I shouted back as I charged the shot once more. But as the purple energy ball formed at the barrel, it suddenly exploded in my face, launching me at the edge of the arena. I groaned in pain before slowly getting back on my feet. I looked around for the Ryuvolver and saw that it started to dissipate like the Uratarod. The Ryuvolver too? Why is this happening now?!

"KUROKUU, HEADS UP!" Shuichi warned before focusing his fight with Pyrrha and Ruby. I looked up and saw Yang attacking from above. She has a menacing grin on her face as she gave me a small wink. This is not gonna end well, is it? I quickly rolled out of the way as Yang punched the ground, releasing a strong gust of air and energy all around her. The wind blew my back quite a bit, but I summoned the Momotarosword and planted the weapon into the ground, saving myself from elimination.

I got back up as Yang cracked her hands and neck. "Kurokuu, I can't believe you got Weiss out. And here I thought that you would save her for last."

"It was an accident!" I said as I summoned out the Kintaros Axe.

"Whatever. But now…" Yang reloaded her shells into her weapon before cocking the weapon back. "It's my turn." Yang charged straight in with a straight punch, but I moved to the left, which gave me an edge in this fight. I used the blunt end of the axe and redirected her arm upward, leaving her whole torso open.

I smirked and said, "Checkmate!" And with a vertical strike, I swung the axe at Yang's torso, launching her several feet away from me. "HA! HA! YES! TAKE THAT!" I cheered.

"You…" I froze in fear as I heard the anger in Yang's voice. She slowly got back up on her feet as I noticed her eyes changed from lilac to red. Fire emitted from her hair as she smashed her fist together, creating a large explosion behind her. "YOU'RE GONNA GET IT!" Yang shouted as she charged towards me at lightning speed. I panicked as I used the Kintaros Axe as a shield. I raised the Kintaros Axe in front of me as Yang delivered her deadly punch. I was sent flying at incomprehensible speed that I crashed into Jaune, shattering him from his frozen confinement, and we both got knocked out of the arena.

We both crashed into the wall, creating a large crack where we landed, before falling back onto the ground. I looked over to Jaune and asked, "Hey… are you alright?"

"My…back…" Jaune muttered. I looked around for the Kintaros Axe and saw that the blade of the weapon was in pieces. Then, it soon started dissipating like the Ryuvolver and Uratarod. What the heck is happening to me? Why are they breaking so easily? Uratarod against Jaune's shield, the Ryuvolver exploding, and now this? Seems like the only useful weapon I could use now is the Momotarosword.

I looked back up to the arena and saw that Shuichi and Mai are up against the remaining members of Team R(W)BY and JNP(R). Blake is jumping around Mai as she fired arrows after arrows, trying to hit the evasive cat faunus. Mai reached into her quiver to get an arrow, only to realize that she used up all of it. Mai sighed as she took off her quiver and resorted to hand to hand combat.

Blake landed back onto the ground and fired at Mai. But, she quickly dodges the shots and rushes in. Mai went in for a cross punch, but Blake dodged the attack with her shadow clone. This left Mai wide open as Blake went in for a thrust. But Mai saw this coming and dodge to the left, leaving Blake open to be attacked. Mai grabbed Blake's wrist and elbowed her in the stomach before doing a shoulder toss, slamming Blake into the ground.

Blake watched with wide eyes until Mai punched her out cold, rendering her unconscious. Mai was ready to toss Blake out of the arena until Yang jumped in and fired off several rounds, causing Mai to drop Blake in order to dodge the gun fire. Mai got back into her fighting stance as Yang charged in for a straight punch. But, Mai redirected the punch and latched on to Yang's wrist before elbowing her in the temple.

Mai was about to go in for the knockout punch, but Yang caught Mai's fist and began applying pressure to it. "DAMN IT!" Mai shouted as she lets go of Yang's wrist to find a way to escape from her grasp.

Mai struggled as she turns her fist to the right, causing Yang to loosen her grip, and allowing Mai to escape. Mai quickly pulls her arm away and kicks Yang away from her, giving her some distance between them. She massages her hand as Yang cracked her wrist. They both stared down at each other as they didn't move a muscle. Time seemed to stand still as they both charged in for the finishing blow.

Yang charged in for the straight punch while Mai just kept on rushing towards her. Then as Yang went in for the punch, Mai ducked at the last second, leaving Yang completely opened. Mai's arm started glowing white as she uppercuts Yang in the face, causing her to experience the slow down effect. Mai started showing signs of fatigue as she mustered all her strength to grab Yang and throw her out of the arena, eliminating her from the match.

Mai breathed heavily as she fell on her knees, trying to recover. But as she does so, this left her wide open for a certain cat faunus to attack. Blake attacked Mai from behind by wrapping her around with the ribbons on Gambol Shroud. Mai quickly got back up as she tries to escape from it, but the fight with Yang weakened her strength. Blake jumped back and created a fire dust clone before pulling Mai towards it. She put up no resistance at all as Mai crashed into the clone, causing an explosion to occur and launching Mai out of the arena.

"MAI!" Shuichi shouted as he parried Pyrrha's attack and retraced away from her and Ruby. He looked around and noticed that he was the last man standing in our team.

Ruby, Blake, Nora, and Pyrrha surround him as Ruby said, "Blake, I need you to handle Nora. I'll try to take out Shuichi and Pyrrha." Blake nodded as she and Nora stared at each other. They moved away from Pyrrha, Ruby, and Shuichi as they stood there silently. They didn't move an inch until Ruby cried out, "HYAH!"

Shuichi reacted first and retraced away from Ruby, causing her to attack Pyrrha instead. However, Pyrrha blocked the attack with her shield and pushed Crescent Rose out of the way and slashed Ruby's torso, knocking her back. But while Ruby and Pyrrha were busy fighting with one another, Shuichi loaded up another stun arrow and fired it at them.

The arrow started beeping, causing Ruby and Pyrrha to stop fighting. As the beeping got faster, Pyrrha quickly reacted by hiding behind her shield. Sadly, Ruby couldn't react in time as the arrow detonated, blinding Ruby. "AH! MY EYES!" Ruby said as she started swinging Crescent Rose wildly.

Pyrrha got around this by using her semblance to move Ruby's scythe out of the way for her to attack. She tossed her shield at Ruby's hand, disarming her before retrieving her shield. Pyrrha whacked Ruby across the head before jump kicking her out of the arena, eliminating Ruby from battle.

Just as Pyrrha finished eliminating Ruby, Shuichi made his move and attacked her. But, she quickly reacted in time and blocked the incoming attack. They both stared at each other as their blades clashed. Suddenly, an explosion occurred as both Nora and Blake were sent flying out of the arena, leaving Shuichi and Pyrrha as the last people standing.

Pyrrha swung her shield at Shuichi, but he quickly retraced away and fired off several arrows. Pyrrha simply blocked the incoming arrows with her shield as she charges straight towards Shuichi. But, Shuichi quickly switches his crossbow back into its sword form and retraced behind Pyrrha to attack her from behind. He goes in for a downward slash, but Pyrrha moved the blade out of the way and back kicked Shuichi in the stomach. He managed to recover in time as he parries Pyrrha's next incoming attack.

Shuichi goes in for a thrust attack, but Pyrrha parried his sword and slashed him on the chest. He stumbled back and said, "I can see why… people call you the 'Invincible Girl' now."

Pyrrha had sweat pouring down on her face as she pointed her sword and asked, "Do you yield?"

Shuichi breathed heavily as he looked back up at her and replied, "Not… just… yet!" Shuichi retraced behind Pyrrha, which promptly caused her to turn around. But, he's not there. Pyrrha faced back to the front as Shuichi retraced in front of her and slashed her across the chest. She stumbled back and decided to put her shield on her back as defense if Shuichi attacked from behind. Pyrrha looked behind and saw that he was there for a brief moment before retracing again.

She faced back to the front and saw Shuichi making his move. Pyrrha parried the incoming attack, only for Shuichi to retrace once more and kick her from behind. Shuichi smirked at Pyrrha as she tried to attack him again, but he quickly retraced away.

Pyrrha looked around the room for Shuichi until she saw a glimpse of him on her right. She quickly reacted and faced forward just as Shuichi retraced. Pyrrha and Shuichi clashed once more as they both struggle to overpower each other. "This has gone on for too long. How about we settle this with one last shot?" Pyrrha asked.

"Sounds good to me." Shuichi said as they both quickly jump away from each other. Shuichi switches his sword into a crossbow and loads up an explosive arrow while Pyrrha switches her sword into a javelin. They both pointed their weapons at each other and fired. The explosive arrow and javelin flew past each other as they hit their respective targets, knocking both of them down.

Pyrrha was sent flying out of the arena while Shuichi stood his ground and took the hit. But, his green aura started flickering, and that could mean one thing. His aura is completely drained. Shuichi breathed heavily as he fell on his knees and then on his back. " **SHUICHI!"** Deneb shouted as he rushed towards his aid. Mai and I looked at each other as we both knew what we had to do. We both got up and made our way towards Shuichi.

We helped him up on his feet as Mai said, "Well, that was quite a match."

"You said it!" Ruby said as she and Yang helped Weiss and Blake up on their feet. "That was so awesome! You were retracing all around her so fast!"

"I forced myself to retrace quicker so Pyrrha wouldn't keep up. But in the end, it took a toll on me." Shuichi said in between his breath.

Nora carried Jaune over her shoulders while Ren helped Pyrrha up. Shuichi and Pyrrha stared at each other as she sticks her hand out and said, "That was a wonderful match! Never in my life that I had to push myself this hard to the point where I had to use my semblance more frequently and openly. Thank you."

Shuichi looked at her hand before accepting the handshake and said, "You too, Invincible Girl. Next time, it won't be a draw."

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!" We all cringed at the sound of her voice as well turn around and see Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch standing at the entrance. You can see veins pulsing out of the side of her head as she breathed in and out heavily. Professor Goodwitch kept her head high as she pulls out her riding crop and said, "When I said you students are allowed to practice in the amphitheater…" Suddenly, the crack of her riding crop resonated through the room as she shouted, "THAT DOESN'T MEAN DESTROY THE ENTIRE ROOM!"

I felt the tense atmosphere in the air as I turned around and saw Ruby hiding behind Yang. "Now, now, Glynda. Let's just calmly talk this out. You have to admire these students' determination to better themselves. I'm sure they have no ill intention to cause chaos to the amphitheater." Professor Ozpin said, trying to calm her.

"Professor Ozpin, you cannot be serious! This is the second time they caused property damage and you're gonna let them go again?!"

"I'm not suggesting that." Professor Ozpin said. He turned towards us and continued, "Although, Professor Goodwitch makes a very valid point. I let you off with a warning last time and it seems like you haven't learned from that mistake. So instead of Professor Goodwitch cementing the cracked arena floor and wall back together, I'm having you all finish the job for her."

"WAIT, WHAT?!" We all shouted in unison.

"Yes, you heard me. I want you to finish this all by ten or you'll all be locked in for the night by the custodians." Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch began walking away. But before he left, the last thing he said was, "Also, all of the cement and tools are in the storage closet in the locker room. Good luck!"

And with that, they exited the room, leaving us in there to do the dirty work. I can't believe this is happening. How are we supposed to finish this all by tonight? Then the sound of a clap caught my attention as I look over to see who made that sound. All eyes were on Ruby as she said, "Well, what're we waiting for? Let's finish this task together as a team! LET'S GO!"

Just like that, Ruby disappeared to the locker rooms, leaving behind a trail of rose petals. Mai rubbed her hands together and said, "Ruby's right. Let's finish this all quickly!" We all nodded our heads together as we dashed towards the locker, ready for the long hours ahead.

* * *

 _Three Hours Later_

"And DONE!" Ruby shouted as she finished sealing up the last crack in the wall.

I wiped the sweat off my forehead as I exhaled sharply and said, "Finally. We don't have to mix anymore cement!" Jaune, Ren, Deneb, Shuichi, and I all dropped the shovel in the cement mixture bucket as we walked over to Ruby and everyone else.

Instead of wearing their typical battle attire, they all wore white jumpsuits that is stained with cement mixture. Yang took off her hat and said, "Whew! Good thing I found this hat! If anything happened to my hair, I'd be devastated."

"Great job guys." Mai cheered as she unzipped her jumpsuit halfway, revealing her black tank top underneath. "Well, we should probably get changed quickly and get out of here!"

"Right! LADIES FIRST!" Weiss shouted as she and the rest of the girls, except Mai, went towards the locker rooms.

Jaune, Ren, Deneb, Shuichi, and I all sat against the wall, taking a short breather. Mai walked up to me and asked, "Well, are you ready?"

I inhaled deeply and responded, "I'm ready."

"Ready for what?" Jaune asked as he took off his armor.

" **Kurokuu is about to ask Weiss out on a date!"** Deneb said excitedly.

I freaked out a little bit as I stood back up and shouted, "Deneb! You don't need to tell them that! And how did you know that to begin with?!"

" **I'm sorry, Kurokuu! Shuichi and I hid near the entrance and overheard everything!"** Deneb confessed. He went down on his knees and bowed his head down. " **I'm sorry!"** So, no wonder why they arrived from the side of the amphitheater! How did I not think about that?!

"Deneb, stop bowing. It makes you look dumb!" Shuichi said as he got up and pulled Deneb back on his feet. "But yeah, we listened in on the conversation. Huh, I didn't think you were actually gonna make your move this soon."

"Well, I'm not one to know much about relationships. But I just want to say that you're making good progress. Best of luck with you and Weiss." Ren said.

"Yeah, me too. I don't see Weiss being with anyone else but you." Jaune said as he had his hand out.

I accepted his handshake and said, "Thanks for the word of confidence. It really means a lot to hear that from you guys. Thanks." Then, I see Team RWBY, Pyrrha, and Nora exit the locker room, donning their battle attire.

Weiss was the last one to exit as Mai pushes me towards her and said, "Good luck!"

I felt chills run down my spine as I slowly make my way towards her. My heart started racing like before when I asked Weiss out to the dance. I calmed my nerves by breathing in and out slowly. Soon, I felt all my nervousness melt away as I was a few feet away from her. "Okay, Kurokuu. You got this." I muttered to myself. I looked back up at her and called out, "Hey, Weiss!"

I see her face towards me as she said, "Oh hey, Kurokuu." We both approached each other as she said, "Well, we finally finished with all of this work."

"Yeah, kinda my fault for creating some of these cracks on the wall. Speaking of which, I'm sorry about… you know." I said awkwardly as I rubbed the back of my neck.

"It's fine. We're training after all, so we're bound to get hurt here and there." Weiss brushed off.

There was an awkward atmosphere between us until Ruby shouted, "HEY, WEISS! LET'S GET BACK TO OUR DORMS BEFORE THE CUSTODIANS LOCK US UP!"

"Well, I guess that's my cue. I'll see you tomorrow, Kurokuu." Weiss said as she walked off. As I stared at her walking away, I realized that I completely forgot to ask her!

Panicked, I rushed up to her and grabbed her by the arm. "WAIT!" I shouted. But, I soon realized how bad I made the situation out to be as I felt everyone's eyes watching me. My heart started beating faster like never before. Damn it, why did I have to open my big mouth?!

"Uh...yes, Kurokuu? What is it?" Weiss asked. Alright, Kurokuu. This is your chance. You can't back out now! I inhaled sharply as I asked her, "Weiss, would you like to go on a date with me?"

I heard everyone in the room gasp, except for the people who already knew, while Weiss has a shocked expression on her face. I immediately felt fear running down my spine as thoughts were passing through my head. Oh no, I ruined it, didn't I? Did I came off too strong?! Is she upset by this?! PLEASE WEISS, JUST SAY SOMETHING ALREADY! I focused back on Weiss and noticed that she's blushing?

"Um… okay. I'll go on a date with you." Weiss replied. I felt my heart stop as fireworks started going off in my head. YES! OH YES, SHE SAID YES! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING! I soon felt her tapping on my chest as she asked, "Kurokuu, are you okay?"

"What?! Yeah, I'm fine! Good! Great! Terrific!" I sputtered out in excitement and joy.

"Okay… so when's our date?"

I regained my composure as I responded calmly, "Tomorrow, 12:30 P.M."

"Great! Where are we going for our date?" Weiss asked.

I was ready to answer until I stopped myself. It's better to keep things a surprise to build up the anticipation. I smirked as I replied with, "Now, that's a surprise you'll have to wait and see tomorrow."

Weiss rolled her eyes and said, "Alright, I can wait." She walked up closer to me and placed her finger on my chest as she whispered, "Don't disappoint me." I froze at the close contact as she stepped away from me and walked back to her team. "I'll see you tomorrow." Weiss said as she exited out of the amphitheater with the rest of her team lagging behind.

Once she left, I felt a wide range of emotions swirling around inside me. First thing I felt was the obvious excitement for what I had plan for our date. Next thing I felt was overwhelming joy when she gave me a chance.

But then, I started feeling anxiety. This is my first date with a girl and what if things don't go as planned? Then that line of thought led me to feeling fear. If the date does go wrong, I'll just walk around school covered in shame and failure for messing up one simple date. And all my friends will start to pity me and I COULD NEVER STARE WEISS STRAIGHT IN THE EYES EVER AGAIN! OH OUM, PLEASE LET THIS DATE BE A SUCCESS!

Suddenly, I started feeling lightheaded as the world around me started spinning. I see three Jaunes staring at me as I hear him ask, "Hey, Ku-kuu. Are y- -right?"

I soon started getting tunnel vision as the one thing I could get out was, "Yeah. Just need some…" My legs felt like jelly as I fell back unconscious; the world around me becomes dark and quiet.

* * *

 _It was a silent and rainy night in the city of Vale. But sadly, the peaceful silence would soon end as a woman is seen walking out of an apartment. She has a slight tan complexion with long and wavy blonde hair and blue eyes. She's wearing a white raincoat, blue jeans, and black leather boots. Tears were forming around her eyes as she speed walks away._

" _ANGELA, WAIT!" A voice called out. The woman, now named Angela, stops in place as a man rushes out of his apartment. He wasn't wearing anything to protect himself from the rain as all he wore was a white tank top and blue shorts. He has a pale complexion with short, now wet, black hair and hazel eyes. "Please, don't leave me! Just-Just give me one more chance! Tell me what I did wrong!"_

" _Sean. Please, don't make this harder on the both of us." Angela said as she shivered from the cold._

" _Angela, please! Talk to me! Where did it all go wrong?! Was it my fault?! Please say something! Anything!" The man, now named Sean, cried out._

 _Angela breathed heavily as tears started streaming down her face. Mustering up all the courage she has left, Angela faced Sean and answered, "Sean, none of this is your fault. You were the best boyfriend I could ever ask for. It's just that…" She stops for a moment to wipe the tears of her face. "It's just that I'm not ready for this. For any of this. I-I'm sorry!"_

 _And with that, Angela ran off in the night, leaving Sean completely heartbroken. He fell on his knees as tears started pouring down on his face. "Angela…" Sean cried as he looked up in the rainy night sky. "...why?" As he sat there, a floating yellow orb hovered behind him before entering his body, causing sand to come off of him._

 _He soon notices it happening as he stands back up, only to see an imagin with a calotes motif. Sean screams as he falls back and tries to back away from him. The bloodsucker imagin stared at him as he asked the question_ _ **, "Tell me your wish and I'll grant said wish. But, you'll have to pay me something in return."**_

 _Sean only stared at the bloodsucker imagin in fear until he thought of his offer. The offer sounded so enticing to him. And Sean has only one wish that he desires. "I want to forget everything about her. About Angela."_

 _The bloodsucker imagin snickered as he said_ _ **, "Contract heard."**_ _As soon as the bloodsucker imagin got his physical form, he started cackling and howling manically before disappearing into the night, leaving Sean alone unconscious._

* * *

 _Fourteen Hours Later_

 **BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!**

Seriously? Why would I set my alarm on a break? I hid under the pillow trying to block out the loud sound. But, it just kept on going and going and going! I groaned angrily before finally getting up and shutting the damn alarm off my scroll. But after doing so, my heart stopped as I saw the time on my scroll, 11:52.

"CRAP! I'M NOT READY YET!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. I got up from my bed and saw Mai, Shuichi, and Deneb already up.

They were eating breakfast made by Deneb as Mai said, "Good morning, Kurokuu! Ready for the big day?"

"NO! What happened to me last night? I don't remember being in bed. And why didn't you wake me up earlier?!"

Shuichi finished up his bowl of rice and handed it to Deneb. He took the bowl out of his hands and began filling the bowl of with more rice. " **Well, after Team RWBY left, the rest of us wanted to congratulate you for asking Weiss out. But then, you fainted."** Deneb answered as he handed the bowl of rice to Shuichi.

"I fainted?" I asked. So, that's what happened to me? Oh man, that's so embarrassing!

"Yeah. And because you, I had to carry your fat ass from the amphitheater all the way back to our dorm!" Shuichi complained as he began chowing down on his helping of rice.

"Oh man! Oh man! Oh man! Oh man! Oh man! The date starts at 12:30 and I've haven't even showered, got my clothes ready, or anything!" I panicked as I looked around for my towel.

Mai set her chopsticks down as she stood up and walked over to my bed. She bent down and pulled out my towel under my bed. "Here, catch!" Mai said as she threw my towel at me. I caught it in time as she said, "Don't worry, Kurokuu. I'll help you with the wardrobe, now hurry up and get ready!"

"Right!" I shouted as I bolted to the restroom. "Thanks a lot for the help, Mai!" I said before slamming the bathroom door. I quickly took off my dirty battle attire and placed it in the laundry basket before grabbing my toothpaste and toothbrush with me in the shower. I turned on the shower and quickly jumped in. But, since I didn't let the warm water set in, I was bombarded by cold water! "AH! SO COLD!" I shouted in response until I accidentally stepped on a bar of soap and slipped, hitting my head against the wall. I hissed in pain as I rubbed my head to ease the pain. Damn it, this is not how I wanted to start my morning!

* * *

 _Meanwhile, Weiss was panicking as she rummaged through the closet, looking for a nice set of clothes to wear on her first date with Kurokuu. She grabbed one of her many attires as she walked out and asked, "Ruby, is this outfit good?"_

 _Ruby didn't know what to say as the only thing that came out of her mouth was, "Uh…."_

" _Oh, why do I even bother!" Weiss said stressfully. "Yang, what do you think about this outfit?"_

 _Yang looked at the outfit and responded, "Way too elegant. You're not going to a ball, you know that right?"_

 _Weiss sighed before running back into the closet to find something better to wear. Ruby tried to comfort her partner by saying, "Weiss, I'm sure Kurokuu will be fine with whatever you're wearing!"_

" _No, he won't! I need to present myself!" Weiss shouted back as she continued rummaging the closet._

" _Man, Ice Queen. I have never seen you this stressed out before. It's actually quite funny." Yang said._

" _Shut up and help me find what to wear!"_

 _Blake hopped off her bed and said, "Well, you can't blame her. This is her first date after all."_

" _I'm still surprised that Kurokuu asked her out of the blue. It caught all of us off guard. Hell, I thought it would be the other way around!" Yang commented._

" _It was so cute when he asked her out! It looked like something straight out of a high school romance series!" Ruby said excitedly._

 _Weiss groaned and said, "Would you guys stop talking about that and help me?!"_

" _Weiss, you have nothing to worry about. Just wearing something casual, but not too casual. Besides, we don't know what Kurokuu has planned for you. So it's best if you just play it safe." Yang suggested. "And if you play your cards right, you might get something special from him. I know I have, kinda."_

 _Ruby had a disgusted look on her face as she said, "Eww! Yang! I don't want to hear about the date you had with Urataros back then!"_

" _You went on a date with Urataros?" Blake asked with a raised eyebrow._

" _Well, I didn't know it was Urataros. At the time, he was in Kurokuu's body, so I didn't know it was him. We met at a club and we both hung out with each other. And one thing left to another, and…"_

" _Oh Oum, please don't say what I think you're gonna say." Blake said as she rubbed her temples._

" _Urataros and I… sorta made out." Yang admitted._

" _YOU AND URATAROS DID WHAT?!" Weiss shouted._

" _Hey, like I said before! He was in Kurokuu's body, so I didn't know it was him! But I gotta say, Kurokuu does have quite the lips." Yang muttered as she touched her own lips._

 _Weiss blushed as she asked, "His lips?"_

" _Yeah, so soft." Yang reminisced._

 _Weiss snapped out of her thoughts and said, "No! Yang Xiao Long, you will not taint me with your…. indecent thoughts!"_

 _Blake sighed and said, "Weiss, we'll do what we can to help you, but you need to calm down."_

 _Weis stopped for a moment and took a deep breath. She slowly exhaled and said, "Okay. I feel a little bit better."_

" _Good. And now…" Blake got up from her seat and walked over to the closet. She scoured the room until she saw three things that caught her eye. Blake walked over to the tops section and acquired white buttoned down top. Then, she walked over to the the bottoms section and pulled out a black skater skirt with brown belt wrapped around it. And lastly, she walked over to the shoes section and grabbed the black ankle boots. Blake handed the outfit to Weiss and said, "Try these on."_

 _Weiss sighed with relief and said, "Blake, thanks for the help."_

" _No problem. Now get going!" Blake said as Weiss rushed towards the restroom to get ready._

* * *

"Okay. How do I look?" I asked Mai, Shuichi, and Deneb as they determine if the clothes Mai chose for me look good. Mai gave me a black, short sleeved button up shirt with a white shirt underneath, red pants, black canvas shoes, and my signature red muffler.

Mai stood up and clapped her hands together. "YOU LOOK PERFECT!" Mai said as she placed her hands on my shoulder. "You're gonna blow Weiss away!"

"You really think so?" I asked bashfully. It kinda makes me wonder what she would wear.

" **Kurokuu, you look great!"** Deneb complimented.

I look over to Shuichi, who was looking at his scroll. He looked up at me and responded, "Meh. Whatever."

Mai rolled her eyes and said, "Don't worry about Shuichi. You look great!"

I sighed and said, "Thanks Mai. I'd probably be a mess if you didn't help me out." Mai smiled back in response. Then, sand came off of me as all of the Taros made their appearance. "Hey, guys! What're you doing here?"

" **We wanted to check up on you for your date."** Urataros answered. He inspected me and said **, "And I have to say, you look not that bad."**

Momotaros looked up at me and asked **, "Yo, Kurokuu! You alright?"**

"I'm… a bit nervous about all of this." I replied.

" **Well, whatever you're feeling, man up! There's no backing out now, so you gotta impress Ice Queen, got it?"**

I inhaled sharply before exhaling and replying to Momotaros. "Right! Make this date the best date for Weiss!"

" **Wai! Kurokuu is all fired up!"** Ryutaros exclaimed as he pranced around the room.

I see Kintaros sniffling as he said **, "Kurokuu, my boy. You… grown up so quickly!"** He then pulled out a tissue and wiped some tears off his eyes before blowing his nose.

I grabbed my pass and scroll as I walked towards the door. I look back at everyone and said, "Well, wish me luck!"

"GOOD LUCK **/GOOD LUCK!"** They all shouted, except Shuichi, as I exit out of the dorm. I walk one room down to Team JNPR, and right across from them is Team RWBY's dorm. I pulled out my scroll as the time displayed 12:27. Well, this is it. Make this date the best date!

I knocked on the door as I hear Ruby asking, "Kurokuu? Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me. Is Weiss ready?" I asked. The response I got was the door being opened. On the other side, I see Ruby standing in front of the door as she moved out of the way, revealing Weiss in an entirely different wardrobe style than what I'm used to. She wore a white buttoned down top with the sleeves rolled up, a black skate skirt with a brown belt wrapped around it, black ankle boots, a silver bracelet on each wrist, and her signature apple pendant. Overall, Weiss looks very cute in this new style.

"Kurokuu?" Weiss asked, snapping me out of my daze.

Okay, Kurokuu. First thing you need to do is compliment how she looks. "You look cute." I said as I felt a blush coming up.

Her face started blushing as well as Weiss replied back with, "Thanks. You look not bad yourself." Okay, so far so good. "So, where are we going for our date?"

I smirked and said, "Like I said yesterday, it's a secret until we get there." Weiss responded by rolling her eyes. I offered her my hand and asked, "Ready to go?"

Weiss nodded before grabbing a hold of my hand. We both blushed at our close contact as we made our way down the hall. "HAVE FUN ON YOUR DATE, YOU LOVERBIRDS!" I hear Yang shout out. Hearing that made us both blush even more than before. Damn it, Yang! Why did you have to say that?

* * *

 _Few Minutes Later_

 _Ruby, Yang, and Blake watched out the window as they see Kurokuu and Weiss take off on a Bullhead. Ruby sighed once the pair were out of sight._

 _Ruby and Blake stepped away from the window as they turn around and see Yang looking through her desk. Curious, Ruby asked, "Yang? What're you doing?"_

 _Yang didn't answer until she found her keys to her motorcycle, Bumblebee. "Ruby, Blake, we are gonna follow those two love birds!" Yang said with a cheeky grin._

" _Wait, what? Yang, why should we do that? I'm sure Weiss and Kurokuu wouldn't want us to intrude on their first date." Blake questioned._

" _So we can make sure that their date goes well." Yang answered. "I mean, have you seen them? They have no experience! That's why we need to make sure that they end their date on a high note. And…" She then pulled out her scroll. "We take the million lien shot."_

 _Blake sighed and said, "Yang, no. Absolutely not. We are not following them. We're not interfering with their date. And we definitely will not take a picture of their first kiss."_

 _Ruby joined in and said, "Blake, come on! Wouldn't you like to know what happens on their date?"_

" _Besides, we're not interfering per say. We're more along the lines of… spectating. If you will." Yang assured._

 _Blake and Yang looked at each other for several seconds until Blake gave in and said, "Alright. You win. Let's go."_

" _YES!" Ruby and Yang cheered as they high-fived each other._

 _Blake only sighed and muttered to herself, "Kurokuu. Weiss. Please forgive me."_

* * *

After the Bullhead dropped us off in Vale, Weiss started to get impatient as she asked, "Now, will you please tell me where we're going? I don't like being kept in the dark."

I sighed and said, "Like I said before, it's a secret until we get there. And now…" I snapped my fingers, causing the Den-Bird to appear. The Den-Bird already had two helmets resting on the handle grips. I sat on the bike and put my helmet on and gave the other one to Weiss and said, "Let's get going. I'm not gonna make you wait any longer."

I saw a hint of blush on Weiss' face as she puts on her helmet and sits behind me. As I revved the bike up, I felt Weiss resting her head on my back, causing me to blush furiously. I propped up the kickstand as I drove off into the city.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, Ruby, Blake, and Yang had arrived in Vale a few minutes after Kurokuu and Weiss. Ruby looked around and asked, "Yang, how are we gonna find Kurokuu and Weiss? Their date can be anywhere!"_

" _Ah! That's where my plan comes into play!" Yang exclaimed as she pulled out her scroll. On her scroll, it showed the location of her team, including Weiss. "As you can see, since we're in the same team, we have all of each other's location, including Weiss. So! All we do now is follow them."_

" _Yang, you're a genius!" Ruby praised._

 _Blake sighed and said, "Well, I'll follow them by rooftops."_

" _I'll follow them through the crowd." Ruby said._

 _Yang puts on her shades as she revved up Bumblebee. "And I'll tail them with my bike! Alright, guys! Let the plan begin!"_

* * *

I continued driving down the street as I followed the directions to Tropical Land on my scroll. "Okay, just another left in half a mile." I muttered.

I hear Weiss giggle as she commented, "It's been awhile since I've seen you this tense. Last time was at the dance."

"Well, like before. I want to make this date the best date. Just for you." I said, not daring to turn around to show her the obvious blush on my face. She then began laughing even more, which caused me to drop my head down in embarrassment. "I know. It sounds a bit corny."

"Now, it's not that. I was just… taken back by your words." Weiss said as she slowly calmed down. "I didn't know how to react to that."

I sighed softly and said, "Well, here we are." I felt Weiss sit up as I made a left turn, where Tropical Land is. The place is huge! You could see the giant roller coasters and ferris wheel behind the wall. You could hear the cheers and screams of children and adults alike as they have the time of their lives. And like many other amusement parks, there was large traffic ahead. As we waited in traffic, I turned my head around and saw Weiss staring at the amusement park with an awe expression on her face. "So… what do you think? I know it's a bit kiddish, but I didn't want to take you to a restaurant since you probably been to many already and I kinda wanted to do something that is fun for both of us."

"Kurokuu. I-I love it." Weiss replied. "I always wanted to go here with my family when we visited Vale. But, we never had the time."

"Well, now is your chance. Let all your worries go away and have lots of fun for one day!" I said.

Weiss smiled as she hugged me from behind and said, "Kurokuu, thank you. For everything."

I blushed at our close contact as I managed to reply. "It's nothing, really." I look back up and saw that the traffic was picking up. "Well, let's have the time of our lives!" I revved up the bike once more and begin driving towards the parking lot.

But as I drove forward, I look at my rear view mirror on the left and saw Yang? I turned my head around and saw no one there. Weiss moved my head forward as she said, "Kurokuu, eyes on the road!"

"Right! My bad!" I said as I kept driving. Strange, was that just me?

* * *

 _Yang kept her head low as the cars behind her started honking obnoxiously. Once Kurokuu and Weiss were out of sight, Yang turned around, eyes now red, and shouted, "HEY! SHUT THE HELL UP!" All the cars immediately stopped honking as they went along with their day. Yang pulled over on the sidewalk and parked there. She pulled out her scroll and called Ruby and Blake. "Are you guys just as surprised as I am?" Yang asked._

" _Yeah, Tropical Land. Those tickets are expensive. Kurokuu is really going all in on his first date." Blake commented._

" _But, did you see how they talk and interact with each other? It was so cute and romantic!" Ruby exclaimed._

" _Okay then, we have a new problem. How are we gonna get in?"_

 _Yang smirked and said, "The good ol' fashion way. We break in!"_

" _AW! YEAH! I WANT TO GO ON ALL THE AWESOME RIDES!" Ruby cheered._

" _And if we get caught?" Blake questioned._

" _Of course we're not gonna get caught. We're huntresses! We have the best sneaking skills, especially you, Blake." Yang said as she crossed the street. "Now let's go! We'll meet up at the ferris wheel."_

" _OKAY!" Ruby exclaimed as she quickly ended the call and dashed towards the wall of Tropical Land._

 _Blake sighed and said, "Well, whatever."_

 _As soon as Blake ended the call, Yang smirked sinisterly and said, "Kurokuu. Weiss. The million lien shot will be taken!"_

* * *

We walked up to the entrance as the greeter there as us, "Tickets?" I handed her both of my tickets as she ripped the pieces in half and gave us the other halves. She stamped both of our hands and handed us a map and said, "Here you go! Have a fantastic day at Tropical Land!"

"Thank you." I said as we both entered in the amusement park. We stood there as we take in everything. The giant roller coaster, the many kids and adults having fun here, and the many vendors that are planted around the park. I looked over to Weiss and asked, "So, where do you want to go first?"

Weiss looked at the map and pointed at the one on the far right. "Let's go here. The Puma!" Weiss said.

"Alright then, let's go!" I said as we both made our way to The Puma ride. But as we were about to go, I accidentally bumped into a guy with black hair and hazel eyes. His eyes look completely red, almost as if he was crying. "Oh, my bad man. Are you alright?"

"It's fine." The man said with a raspy voice. She looked over to Weiss and asked, "Is she your girlfriend?"

We both blushed at the question as I answered, "Um… no. She's not my girlfriend. We're just going out to have fun."

"I see." The man said as he walked away. But before he walked away any further, he said, "Best keep it that way. The longer you hold onto each other, the more pain you'll feel in the future." And with that, he just walked away.

What the heck was that all about? What does he know about us to say something like that? But when I looked back, I noticed a trail of sand on the ground. Oh, no. No. No. No. There can't be an imagin here! Maybe I'm just hallucinating. You fought the Imagins for several months now, it's probably just ingrained in your head.

"Hey, Kurokuu? Are you alright?" I hear Weiss ask.

I face back towards her and said, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just… distracted is all. That guy though."

"Let's forget about him. It's our date and we won't let anything mess that up."

I inhaled softly and said, "Right, let's go!" I said as Weiss grabbed onto my hand and dragged me to The Puma ride. I felt a strange sensation when I held Weiss' hand. Even with all the training we went through, her hand felt soft and delicate. To me, holding her hand felt… so comforting. Like all the worries I had just melt away. This sensation, it feels so right.

* * *

 _Ruby, Blake, and Yang hid behind some bushes as they see Weiss holding hands with Kurokuu as they ran to The Puma ride. "Oh my Oum! They're holding hands now!" Ruby exclaimed quietly._

" _Well, it looks like the date is going well. Maybe the chance of seeing them kiss is bigger than I thought." Yang snickered as she pulled out her scroll and took a picture of them._

 _Blake sighed as she rubbed her temple and said, "Yang, this is so wrong."_

" _And yet, here you are." Yang said as she went in for another picture, but Sean got in the way. "Damn it, the guy got in the wa-" Yang cuts herself off as she see sand seeping out of Sean's clothes._

 _Ruby and Blake noticed this as well as Ruby said, "He has an imagin in him."_

 _Blake pulled out her weapon and said, "Let's follow him." Ruby and Yang nodded in agreement as they follow Sean into the bathroom. From there, Sean is seen standing at the sink, washing his tears away._

 _Then, more sand came off of him as it formed into the Bloodsucker imagin. Sean fell down on the ground unconscious. The bloodsucker imagin cackled loudly as Ruby, Blake, and Yang entered the room, pointing their weapons at hm. "STOP RIGHT THERE, IMAGIN!" Ruby shouted._

 _The Bloodsucker imagin faced them as he said_ _ **, "The huntresses that aid Den-O? I'm surprised that you found me this quickly. No matter, it's time to DIE!"**_ _Then, the bloodsucker imagin's fired off the warts on his body, but Team R(W)BY managed to dodge out of the way._

 _Yang cocked her gun and fired off some rounds at him, but the bloodsucker imagin pulled out a falcata and deflected the incoming fire. He then shot a long tube at Yang, but she managed to move out of the way and catch it in mid-air. And with a firm grip, Yang pulled the bloodsucker imagin towards her and punched him in the chest, launching him through the wall._

 _The people froze in fear at the sight of the monster until someone started screaming, setting off a mob panic. Team R(W)BY jumped straight into action as they surround the bloodsucker imagin, ready for a battle._

* * *

"Woohoo! That was so much fun!" Weiss said as we exited out of The Puma.

"Yeah, that was great!" I exclaimed. I pulled out the map and asked, "So, where to next?"

Weiss looked at the graph herself and suggested, "How about the ferris wheel?" The name of the ferris wheel is The Grandeur.

"Sure. Let's go." I said as I held out my hand. Weiss quickly accepts it as we both made our way to The Grandeur. Luckily when we arrived, there weren't many people going on it, so we were able to get in.

Once the pair in front of us entered, the employee opened the next cab for us and said, "A cab for the lovely couple!"

We both blushed once more as I managed to say, "Thank you." We both entered inside as he locks the door up and walks towards the control panel. He clicked the red button, which caused the ferris wheel to move.

The ferris wheel spun counterclockwise until we reached at the top. Then, the ride stopped, allowing us to see the entire view of Tropical Land. I looked over to Weiss, who had a peaceful look on her face. "Nice view, isn't it?" I asked.

"Yeah. Strange, I always flown on planes before, and I always see views like this. But today, it feels different." Weiss said as she faced towards me.

"And why's that?" I asked.

"I don't know. Maybe it's because… being on a plane by myself gets lonely. And being here with you… makes it more… special."

As we both stared at each other, I felt my hand inching closer and closer to Weiss'. And then, my hand finally made contact with her's. But Weiss didn't show any signs of rejection as I feel her inching closer to me as well. I soon felt the compulsion to get closer and closer. And soon, our foreheads made contact with each other. This… is something entirely new that I've never felt before with anyone. Was Kasumi right about me and Weiss? Have I… fallen for her?

We both smiled at each other as I had the urge to… to… "AHHH!" We both immediately backed away from each other as we both looked out the window and saw a crowd of people running away.

"What's going on?" I asked as I looked ahead and saw an imagin. Damn it, I wasn't hallucinating. An imagin is here now!

"Oh my Oum, Ruby, Blake, and Yang are fighting the imagin!" Weiss exclaimed as she pointed at the imagin, who was being surrounded by them. "We have to go help them!"

"Right. But, how do we get out of here?!" I shouted as I looked down and saw that the employee ran off.

' **Don't worry, Kurokuu-dono! I'll get you guys out!'** I hear Kintaros shout.

"Kintaros, thank you." I said as I allowed him to take over.

Kintaros looked at Weiss and said **, "Weiss! Get on my back! I'm breaking us out of here!"**

"Kintaros, is that you?" Weiss asked. Kintaros nodded in response, which prompt her to ask another question. "Are you crazy? We're several stories high!"

" **Just me, Weiss! Just hop on my back!"** Kintaros reassured. Weiss looked hesitant until she finally agreed and hopped on Kintaros' back. Kintaros took a deep breath and shouted **, "Hold on!"** Then, in one swift movement, Kintaros charged towards the door and broke it open, causing us to plummet towards the ground.

Weiss screamed loudly in fear while I shouted, 'KINTAROS!' But as we were about to hit the ground, I see Kintaros' legs glow yellow as he landed on the ground. And surprisingly, his legs were still fine and functioning.

Weiss breathed in and out heavily as she hopped off of Kintaros' back and started shouting, "Kintaros, you dolt! You could've gotten me and Kurokuu killed!"

Then I felt Kintaros jump out of my body, allowing me full control again. He cracked his neck and said **, "Weiss, it's fine. I used all of my aura to protect Kurokuu from the fall. I'm sorry for scaring both of you."**

"It's okay, Kintaros. Thanks for saving me and Weiss." I said as I got back up. And Kintaros was right as my legs were still okay. I rushed over to the control panel and pressed the go button. The ferris wheel spun around until an occupied cab reached the ground. I pressed the button to unlock the cab doors and said, "Everyone get out of here!"

They all quickly exited the cabs and began running away. We looked back at Team R(W)BY and the imagin, who appears to have a calotes motif, as they struggled to overpower one another. "I'm sending my locker to this coordinate." Weiss informed as she pressed a button on her scroll.

"You go on right ahead. Kintaros, let's go." I said as I wrapped the belt around my waist.

" **Alright!"** Kintaros said as he cracked his knuckles. I pressed the yellow button on his belt as it played its calming instrumental tune.

"Henshin!" I swiped the pass over my belt as it called out.

 **AXE FORM**

The armor materialized as I felt Kintaros enter my body. Then, the yellow armor pieces appeared as it combined with the suit. And lastly, the yellow faceplate appeared as it attaches with the helmet, completing the transformation.

Kintaros quickly assembled his axe with the Den-Gasher pieces and charged straight into battle. He slashed the bloodsucker imagin in the chest before kicking him in the stomach and slashing downwards, knocking him down. "Kintaros!" Ruby shouted in surprise as Yang and Blake regrouped with her.

Kintaros cracked his neck as he said **, "My strength will make you cr-"** Suddenly, I felt Kintaros jumping out of my body, causing the Axe Form armor to disappear.

"What the? Kintaros?! What happened?" I asked, trying to connect back to him. This sudden event caught me off guard as the bloodsucker imagin got up and slashed me in the chest, knocking me back.

"KUROKUU!" I hear Team R(W)BY shout as they pulled the bloodsucker imagin away from me and began distracting it.

I got back up on my feet and shouted, "Kintaros? Are you there? What happened to you?"

Then, I look up in the sky as I saw Weiss' locker crashing towards me. I moved out of the way in time as Weiss' locker landed right next to me. Weiss dashed towards me and asked, "Kurokuu, are you alright? Where's Kintaros?"

"I don't know. He just jumped out of my body during the fight." I replied.

Weiss opened her locker and pulled out Myrtenaster and said, "Well, just call on someone else for now!" She then joined back with her team as she stabbed the bloodsucker imagin in the back.

"Okay. Call on someone else." I repeated Weiss' words as I pressed on the blue button. It played its aquatic tune as I shouted, "Urataros, let's do this! HENSHIN!" I swiped the pass over the belt as it called out.

 **ROD FORM**

I felt Urataros enter my body as the blue armor pieces appeared. But mid-transformation, Urataros just jumped out of my body, causing the blue armor pieces to turn gray and disappear. What the hell is going on?! Why can't I seem to connect with Kintaros or Urataros?!

"KUROKUU, WE COULD REALLY USE YOUR HELP RIGHT NOW!" Yang shouted as she fired her weapon at the bloodsucker imagin.

"JUST HOLD ON!" I shouted as I pressed the purple button. It played its hip hop tune as I shouted, "HENSHIN!" I swiped the pass over the belt as it called out.

 **GUN FORM**

I felt Ryutaros enter my body for a brief moment, only for him to jump out like Kintaros and Urataros. DAMN IT! WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?!

Then, the cry of the Zero-Liner filled the air as I looked up and saw it exiting from the portal. The Zero-Liner swooped down and dropped off Mai, Deneb, and Shuichi, who was already in his Zeronos armor. Shuichi and Deneb rushed in to Team RWBY's aid as Mai rushed towards me and asked, "Kurokuu, what's wrong?!"

"I don't know! I tried calling Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros to help me, but they somehow got kicked out of my body!" I panicked.

"Try Momotaros!" Mai suggested.

"Alright!" I shouted as I pressed the red button. It played its electronic tune as I said, "Please let this work, HENSHIN!" I swiped the pass over the belt as it called out.

 **SWORD FORM**

I felt Momotaros enter my body as the red armor pieces appeared. As it combined with the suit, the faceplate appeared and attaches itself with the helmet, completing the transformation. Momotaros rolled his shoulder and did his signature pose while saying **, "Ore sanjou!"**

'Momotaros! You're still here! What happened to the others? Why can't I transform with them?' I asked, desperate for some sort of answer.

" **I don't know either, Kurokuu. But for now, we need to stop that imagin!"** Momotaros said as he assembled his sword and charged into battle. Shuichi and Deneb were holding the bloodsucker imagin in place as Momotaros slashed wildly at him, inflicting large amount of damage against him.

As Momotaros kicked the bloodsucker imagin away, Shuichi asked, "Took you long enough! What the hell happened?"

" **Like hell I would know! Now, let's finish this quickly!"** Momotaros said as he pulled out the pass and placed it in front of the belt.

 **FULL CHARGE**

Laser entered into the sword as the blade glowed bright red. The blade disconnected from the helt as Momotaros swung his sword around and slashed the bloodsucker imagin across the chest. He was about to go in for the finishing blow until the bloodsucker imagin threw his falcata at Momotaros, knocking him back. Team RWBY, Shuichi, and Deneb were about to finish the job for Momotaros, but the bloodsucker fired off the warts on his body, creating a distraction long enough for the imagin to disappear.

Shuichi looked around to see where he fled, but to no avail. "Damn it!" Shuichi cursed as he pulled the card out of his belt. The card soon disintegrated as he disconnected the belt, causing the armor to dematerialize.

I did the same as the armor dematerialize. Team RWBY, Mai, Shuichi, and Deneb gather around me as Ruby asked, "Kurokuu, what happened to you?"

"I don't know. For some reason, I can't transform with any of the imagins except Momotaros." I answered. What the hell is even going on anymore? First was the weapons, and now this! What is happening to me?

"Maybe The Owner might know something about this. We should ask him when we board the Den-Liner." Mai suggested

"Wait, what about the contractor? We don't know who he is." Weiss said.

"Actually…" Blake cuts in. "We found the contractor." We all looked at her as she led the way. We walked through the hole in the bathroom as we see that it was the guy from before! All of this would've been prevented if I had just pointed that out.

Weiss gasp and said, "It's-"

"-Yeah. It's him." I interrupted. "I saw sand coming off of him. And yet, I did nothing to stop him."

I could see everyone staring at me, but Shuichi was glaring instead. Deneb could see how this would all unfold as he tried stopping him by saying **, "Shuichi, wait."**

"Not now, Deneb." Shuichi said as he made his way towards me. I could feel the anger radiating off of him. But, I deserve what's coming to me. I feel him grabbing my shirt as he said, "KUROKUU, YOU IDIOT! IF YOUR HEAD WASN'T SO HIGH UP IN THE CLOUDS, YOU COULD'VE STOPPED THE IMAGIN AND PROTECTED THE PEOPLE. BUT NO, YOU CHOSE TO RUN ALONG WITH YOUR STUPID DATE! AND NOT JUST THAT, YOU MADE ME WASTE MY CARD; AND I ONLY HAVE ONE LEFT!"

Weiss tried to defend me by saying, "Shuichi, it's not his fault. It's mi-"

"CAN IT, ICE PRINCESS!" Shuichi insulted. "I thought you made some progress. That you learned what it meant to be a huntsman and Rider. But, I was completely wrong. You're just the same idiot like the first time we met." Shuichi said as he walked towards the bathroom door, revealing the Sands of Time. He and Deneb entered inside, leaving me to think about what I've done. I felt immense guilt crashing down on me after Shuichi's lecture. And the worst part is that Shuichi's right. All I cared about we're only my friends. Not the people. I haven't learned a thing ever since I joined. And because of that, so many people got hurt because of me.

I felt Weiss' presence behind me as she asked worryingly, "Kurokuu, are you alright?"

"No. I'm not alright." I replied. "Shuichi is right about me. Everyone got hurt, the imagin got away, and I made Shuichi waste his card again. All because I was selfish."

Ruby joined in and said, "Kurokuu, I'm sure Shuichi doesn't mean what he just said. He's probably just angry about all of this."

"Yeah, but that doesn't change the fact that he's right! I'm not a huntsman or Rider!" No one said a single word, and how can they? They know that Shuichi is right about me. I took a deep breath and said, "Let's just… go back to the Den-Liner. I need to know what's going on with me."

I walked over to the bathroom door and opened it to the Sands of Time. But, before we entered, Blake asked, "What do we do about the contractor?"

Sirens filled the air as I replied, "Leave him here. The police will take him and question him. At least, he'll be safe until we find the imagin. Also, we can't get caught, so let's go." They all nodded in response as I opened the door to the Sands of Time. With that, we all entered inside, waiting for the arrival of the Den-Liner.

* * *

As we all entered inside the Den-Liner, my heart instantly stopped at what I saw. Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros were… disappearing. I rushed towards Urataros and asked with fear in my voice, "Urataros, Kintaros, Ryutaros, what's happening to you guys?! Why… why are you…?"

"Disappearing?" I turn around and saw The Owner standing at the entrance.

"Disappearing? Why are they disappearing?" Ruby asked.

"I can answer that for you." The Owner said as he took a seat at his usual spot. The mound of fried rice was already there as he began digging in.

As he slowly consumed the rice, I felt anxiety and stress building up inside me as I slammed my hands down on the table and asked, "Owner! Could you just please tell me already?! Why are they disappearing?!"

"Kurokuu. Please, calm down." Weiss said as I felt her hand touch my shoulder.

The Owner finished his next bite and answered, "It is the same phenomenon that occurred with Sieg. The bond between you, Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros has been severed."

I hear everyone, except the Taros, gasp as Blake asked, "But, I thought it only happens when the contractor doesn't remember them? And Kurokuu seems to remember them just fine."

"That's right! I still remember Urataros and everyone!" I shouted. There's no way I forgot about them. I could still remember the moments we had together. They can't disappear because of me. It can't be.

"But you did forget, Kurokuu." The Owner said as he ate another spoonful of rice. "During the fight with you and Gaoh, you only remember fighting alongside Momotaros, Team RWBY, Shuichi, and Deneb. You managed to recover most of your memories except for Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros. And the only reason why you remember them is because you're remembering the fragments of their memories."

"Fragments?" I repeated for clearance.

"Yes, memories are very delicate. Think of memories as plants. They start off as a seed or in this case, your first encounter with them. And the more you bond and create moments with the individual, your memory of them grows. But, if you forget who they are or lose your memory of them, the core memory disappears or the roots. And the things you're vaguely remembering is the wilted plant or the fragments of the memories." He then pointed his cane at Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros as he continues, "And as we established before, Imagins require memories in order to exist. Fragments aren't strong enough to support them. Maybe if you were able gain their core memories sooner, they could've had a chance. But, it's far too late."

"Then what could we do? Surely there's some way to save them!" Mai asked.

"Unfortunately, there isn't any way. Since none of them made a contract with Kurokuu, they can't fly back to the past in order to regain their body." The Owner said as he accidently knocked the flag over. He gasped loudly before calming down once more.

I can't believe it. Urataros. Kintaros. Ryutaros. They're all disappearing… because of me. And all I could do now is just watch. I've failed. I failed being Huntsman, a Rider, and a friend. I can't save them. I can't seem to save anyone, can I? No one uttered a single word as the air grew tense. The silence was soon broken as Urataros clapped his hands and said **, "Well, if we're gonna disappear, then that's the way it is."**

Kintaros cracked his neck and sat with his legs folded. " **Right. I won't struggle with it."** Kintaros said with no hint of fear in his voice.

What? I don't understand. How could they? How could they be so calm about this? "Wait…" I muttered out.

" **Why not? There'll be more space here now. Just like the good ol' times."** Momotaros said nonchalantly.

"STOP! JUST STOP!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.

Ryutaros had a confused look on his face as he asked **, "Why? Aren't you pleased by this? It'll make things a lot easier for you!"**

"I SAID JUST STOP!" I shouted once more. "This. All of this. It's all so sudden." I look over to Urataros. "I remember how I rarely get any sleep due to your late night adventures." Then I looked over to Kintaros, "And you always cause me to get bruises every time we train." And lastly, I looked over to Ryutaros. "And you… I still feel like you still want to kill me. So, having you guys with me has always been extremely hectic. I mean, Momotaros was already a handful when we first met. But despite all of that, I want you guys to be by my side. I don't want to lose my friends. Especially, my best friends…" I soon felt tears building up in my eyes as I see more sand flying off of them.

Urataros sighed and said **, "Kurokuu, don't cry now. Not many girls like sensitive guys."** He walked over to Kintaros as Kintaros handed him a tissue. He then walked over and gave it to me. " **I knew somewhere down the road that our time wouldn't last for very long. Just never thought it would be this soon. But, at least I accomplished one thing. I helped you get the girl, and consider that a repayment for letting me stick around and have my fun."**

Kintaros then walked up to me and placed his hands on my shoulder. " **Whatever you do, stay strong. Not just for me, but for everyone. If it weren't for you, I would've disappeared a long time ago. And I'm glad that you come this far. Just promise me that you won't push your friends away."**

Lastly, Ryutaros hopped out of his seat and began blowing bubbles in the room. " **Well, this was a fun adventure! I'm kinda glad that I decided not to kill you. Although I didn't get to see Onee-chan much, I had so much fun fighting with you!"** As Ryutaros finished his last sentence, his feet slowly started disappearing. " **See ya' later, Kurokuu!"** And with that, Ryutaros was the first to go.

Kintaros was next to go as he cracked his neck and waved goodbye. " **You'll cry."** Kintaros uttered as he disappeared.

And finally, Urataros was last to go as he did a quick spin and a small finger salute. " **Later, Kurokuu."** And with that, Urataros is now gone. Everyone is gone. All that's left of them is their sand.

I couldn't hold my tears any longer as I let it fall down my face. The sound of Ruby's whimpering filled the room as Yang comforted her. Mai and Blake had a stoic look on her face while Weiss had tears running down just like me.

I dropped down to my knees as I picked up the sand, holding what's left of them. Then, I felt a hand touching my shoulder as I turned around and saw The Owner. He looked down at me and said, "It's looks like they left behind their fragments. If you imagine something, their form may remain with you."

"They can still be with me?" I asked; he nodded in response. I close my eyes as I remember all the times we went through together. Being stuck in the bathhouse, helping me with my first dance, and fighting alongside each other during the climax with Gaoh. I wish for them to be by my side till the end. Then, I felt the sand move around as I opened my eyes and saw some kind of scroll? I opened it up as the bottom part have fifteen buttons on it with a silver button on the side. The top part has a screen with two horns folded in and the words "Den-O" and "K-Taros System" on the side.

Momotaros sighed and said **, "Really creative, Kurokuu. A scroll."**

I wiped my tears away and said, "Well, at least I can always stay connected to them."

" **You have no sense, do you?"** Momotaros asked jokingly.

I laughed softly and replied, "Yeah, I guess not."

* * *

 _In the Vale Mercy Hospital, Sean is seen sitting quietly in his bed as Commissioner Church is sitting right beside him, asking him questions about the incident. "So, you don't remember a thing about the attack? And that you were knocked out when it all happened?" Commissioner Church asked for clarification. Sean remained silent as he nodded his head yes. "Alright, rest up kid. I'll come by tomorrow and we can start this again."_

 _Commissioner Church stood up and made his way to the door. But as he opened the door, the bloodsucker imagin stood there casually as he waved his falcata around and said_ _ **, "Hi."**_ _Commissioner Church screamed at the top of his lungs as he tried to go for his weapon. But, the bloodsucker imagin wrapped his tube around his wrist and disarmed him before knocking him out cold._

 _Sean showed great fear on his face as he accidentally fell off of his bed. He curled up into the corner as he shouted, "GO AWAY!"_

 _The bloodsucker imagin puts his sword down and pulls out a picture of him and Angela together._ " _ **Do you know how hard it is to finish this contract?"**_ _The bloodsucker imagin said as he crumpled the picture up._ " _ **Well, it's what you wanted, but now…"**_ _The bloodsucker imagin proceeded to throw the picture on the ground and fired his warts at it, destroying the picture._ " _ **Contract complete."**_ _The bloodsucker imagin said before jumping inside Sean's memories, ready to do as he's been told._

* * *

Several minutes passed since Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros disappeared. All the tears I had within me are gone as I just sat there, remembering all the times we went through. The Den-Liner was dead silent until Momotaros sniffed the air and informed **, "The imagin just flew. He was at the hospital."**

I quickly got back up on my feet and said, "Right. I'll go get the ticket. Stay here." No one objected as I exited the room. Once the Den-Liner slowed to a halt, I boarded off and opened the exit door to the hospital. I looked around and saw the same man from before on the floor, lying motionless. I quickly rushed towards him and pulled out a blank ticket. I placed it near his head as the ticket displayed a picture of the imagin with the date 5/19/2005. "Excuse me, do you mind telling me what this date means to you?" I asked.

The man looked at me and said, "Oh, it's you. Sure, I'll tell you. That was the day I went on my first date with Angela. We were good friends in highschool and I managed to have the courage to ask her to go to Tropical Land with me. Looking back on it now, it was such a beautiful memory."

I nodded my head and said, "Thank you. I won't let the monster destroy your memory. I promise." I ran back towards the door and entered back into the Sands of Time, where the Den-Liner was already on stand by. I boarded on and entered inside the dining car, where everyone was waiting.

Mai stood up and asked, "Did you get the ticket?"

"Yeah, I got it." I replied as I showed her the ticket. As I slip the ticket into the pass, I pulled out the K-Taros phone and said, "Shuichi is right about me. All this time, I haven't been fighting for the people like you guys are. And it's my fault that so many people got hurt because of it. But now, it's time for me to take responsibility and perform my duties as a Rider and Huntsman for once. Not out of selfishness anymore."

Team RWBY and Mai nodded in unison as Blake said, "We're glad to hear that, Kurokuu."

"Yeah, let's stop that imagin." Yang said as she activated her gauntlets. I quickly rushed towards the engine room and hopped on the Den-Bird. I set the pass in as it set our coordinates to 2005.

* * *

 _May 19, 2005_

 _It was a nice warm day at Tropical Land as we see a young Sean and Angela exploring the park to go find their next ride. Angela pointed at The Grandeur and said, "Oh! Let's go on that one!"_

" _Sure, whatever you want." Sean replied. Angela quickly grabbed his hand and tried to drag him, but he didn't budge._

 _Angela looked confused as she asked, "Sean? Are you okay?" She looked down and noticed sand seeping out of his clothes as it formed into the bloodsucker imagin. Angela screamed loudly as the bloodsucker imagin knocked her out and began rampaging throughout the park once more._

 _And watch it all was none other than Nakamura as he stood near The Puma ride. He stared at his watch until the Den-Liner appeared in this time period. Knowing that his time has run out, he fled, disappearing in the crowd._

* * *

Team RWBY, Mai, and I jumped off the Den-Liner as we saw Shuichi and Deneb evacuating the people. "SHUICHI!" Mai shouted.

He recognized us and said, "Guys, you're here! I need some of help evacuating the civilians."

"Right. Team RWBY, help Shuichi evacuate the people. We'll handle the imagin." Mai said as Team RWBY compiled and went to on to do just that. Deneb, Mai, and I rushed towards the bloodsucker imagin as he was destroying all the rides around him. As all of that occurred, I see the contractor from before trying to wake who I assume to be Angela up.

"Angela! Angela! Please wake up, say something!" The contractor shouted as I see the bloodsucker imagin about to attack them.

I felt fear running down my spine as I charged towards them and shouted, "Look out!" I saw the bloodsucker imagin extend its tube as I stood in front of the contractor and Angela and took the hit. The tube wrapped around my neck as I soon felt it drain my aura. I fell down on one knee and shouted to them, "RUN! GET OUT OF HERE QUICK!"

They compiled as the contractor picked up her up off the ground and said, "Thank you so much!" As they managed to flee, I slowly got back up and tried to untangle it, but the grip was too tight.

I felt air slowly running out as the tube slowly started choking me out. Luckily, Deneb came in just in time and shot the tube off, disconnecting it from the imagin. "KUROKUU! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" Mai asked as she and Deneb helped me take off the tube.

"I'm fine." I replied.

Deneb smiled at me and said **, "You did great in saving the girl. Now that's what a huntsman and Rider is all about."**

I smiled back and said, "Thank you." I slowly got back up and wrapped the Den-O belt around my waist.

As I pulled out the pass, I hear Momotaros say **, 'So, we're back to where we were before. Just the two of us.'**

"Yeah, I know. It feels… different without them here." I commented.

' **I don't blame you. Now, let's stop this imagin together!'**

"Right." I said as I pressed the red button. It played its electronic tune as I shouted, "Henshin!" I swiped the pass over the belt as it called out.

 **SWORD FORM**

The armor materialized as the red armor pieces appear and combine with the suit. Then, the faceplate appeared and attaches itself to the helmet, completing the transformation.

" **Ore sanjou!"** Momotaros said as he did his signature pose. He quickly assembled his sword and charge straight into battle. Momotaros went in for a downward strike, but the bloodsucker imagin parried Momotaros' attack and slashed him across the chest.

As Momotaros stumbles backwards, Deneb and Mai provided suppressing fire to push the imagin back. Momotaros growls angrily as he said **, "I'm not done with you yet!"** He then charged straight back in.

"Momotaros, stop!" I hear Mai shout. But that didn't stop Momotaros from attacking. At this point, the bloodsucker imagin is just toying with him as he dodges every strike. This angers Momotaros as he goes in for a horizontal strike, but the bloodsucker imagin parries the attack and releases his explosive warts at everyone.

Mai and Deneb took cover while Momotaros took the hit. Then, the bloodsucker imagin grabbed Momotaros by the neck and tossed him over into the shooting gallery. The bloodsucker imagin howled in laughter as he shouts **, "I thought the Den-O was stronger than this! Come out and fight me!"**

"Deneb, fire!" Mai commanded as they got up from their cover and started firing their bullets and arrows to buy Momotaros some time to recover.

Momotaros hissed at the pain in his shoulder as he said **, "Damn… I can't seem to go all out for the climax!"**

'But, we have to stop him. We can do this.' I encouraged Momotaros.

" **That's true. Can't call reinforcements now."** Momotaros admitted.

'That's not true. We still have Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros with us.' I reminded.

Momotaros was confused at what I meant by that until he pulled out the K-Taros Flip Scroll. He gripped the scroll tightly as he asked **, "Damn it… Did they really disappear? DID THEY?!"** Then, Momotaros jumped out of cover and slashed the bloodsucker imagin in the back. As Team RWBY and Shuichi return to help us, Momotaros seemed to have it under control as he slashed and kicked the imagin wildly, not giving him any time to react. As he does so, Momotaros shouts out **, "KAME! KUMA! SNOT-NOSED BRAT! DON'T JUST DISAPPEAR! YOU ASSHOLES!"**

'Momotaros...' I said softly, realizing that Momotaros missed them also. Momotaros kept assaulting the bloodsucker imagin until the K-Taros Flip Scroll had a call.

Momotaros looked at it for a moment before slashing and kicking the bloodsucker imagin back in order to take the call. " **What the…?"** Momotaros said in confusion as he opened the K-Taros up and pressed the accept button. He raised the K-Taros to his ears as he said **, "Hello?"**

" **Violent as always, Senpai."** I hear a familiar voice on the other side.

'Urataros? How is he calling us?' I asked.

Momotaros sounded just as surprised as I was when he asked **, "Kame?! How are you…?"**

" **Forget that. Try using this flip scroll."** Urataros interrupted.

" **You! Where the hell are you calling us from?"** Momotaros asked, still completely confused at what's going on.

" **Just do it, already!"** Urataros insisted. Momotaros looks back up and sees the bloodsucker imagin about to attack, but Ruby and Deneb covered for Momotaros and fired at him.

Momotaros didn't know what to do and I suggested, 'Momotaros, I know this is a long shot. But, let's follow what Urataros said and try it.'

" **Try it?"** Momotaros questioned before he reluctantly agrees with me. He pressed the four bottom buttons before pressing the call button. The moment he does so, the scroll called out.

 **MOMO URA KIN RYU**

Suddenly, high pitched electronic tunes were playing as I hear the voices of Ryutaros, Kintaros, and Urataros coming out of the scroll, which freaked Momotaros out, causing him to drop the K-Taros. The K-Taros landed on the button as it called out.

 **CLIMAX FORM**

Then, a set of tracks came out from the bottom of the K-Taros as it surrounds us before connecting with the belt. " **What the hell is even going on anymore?!"** Momotaros shouted as a new set of armor materialize and replaced the Sword Form armor. The new set of armor looks completely different. The sharp shoulder plates of the Sword Form armor is replaced with a circular shaped ones, and same could be said for the chest plate. But, instead of having one track running down the armor, there were four train tracks with a train turntable design in the middle. Train tracks covered my body, running down the shoulders, arms, legs, and chest.

The K-Taros rode the track until it reaches to the belt and clips onto it, causing two horns to prop up and changing the color of the Den-O symbol to a rainbow spectrum. Suddenly, the faceplates of all the forms began appearing, causing Momotaros to freak out. " **What even is this?!"** Momotaros cried out as the faceplates start flying around him. The Rod Form faceplate connects with the tracks on Momotaros' right arm as it goes up to his shoulder and attaches to it. Momotaros screamed in fear as the Axe Form faceplate connects with the tracks on his left arm before going up to his shoulder and attaching itself to it. " **KUMA! KUMA!"** Momotaros cried out as the Gun Form faceplate connect to the track on his left leg. It moved its way up to the chest and attaches to it.

Once all the faceplates are attached to the armor, the Sword Form faceplate started changing into random colors as well as the yellow design on between the faceplate. Then, the Sword Form faceplate split opened, revealing a orange colored faceplate behind it. The yellow design did the same as it revealed three colored shapes.

This caused immense pain for Momotaros as he cried out **, "AHH! MY FACE HAS BEEN PEELED OFF!"** He looks at each of the individual faceplates as he shouts **, "WHAT'RE YOU GUYS DOING TO ME?!** " Suddenly, our bodies started glowing orange as we combust into flames. Train tracks appeared behind us as fire consumed it. Then, the Den-Liner randomly entered this time period as it rode on the burning track, causing it to be on fire. It left afterwards as Momotaros shouts in fear while trying to snuff the fire out **, "This time I'm on fire! HOT! HOT! HOT!"**

 **(Cue~Climax Jump! by AAA)**

I hear the reactions of Team RWBY and MS(K)D as Mai said, "Oh my Oum! He gained another form!"

"How is that even possible?" Yang asked in awe.

Ruby had her hands in the air and cheered, "URATAROS, KINTAROS, RYUTAROS! THEY'RE ALL BACK!"

"I thought that they're gone for good?!" Blake questioned.

Shuichi, on the other hand, stared at it disgustingly and said, "That looks… kinda gross."

Weiss had a smile on her face as she shouts, "KUROKUU, MOMOTAROS, URATAROS, KINTAROS, RYUTAROS, YOU CAN BEAT HIM!"

My heart was filled with joy when I saw them return. My best friends really are with me. 'Everyone! You didn't disappear!'

" **Seems like it."** Urataros said while doing a spin. I just realized that we all are sharing one body. So when one of us talk, they temporarily take control.

Kintaros then took control as he crouched down to the sumo stance and cracked his neck. " **Kurokuu! Leave this to me!"** Kintaros insisted.

" **But, I have to say that this is kinda gross!"** Ryutaros said as he pranced around.

Momotaros took control as he stopped and said **, "Assholes, I'm the one that's grossed out!"**

'Guys! Let's stop arguing and defeat this imagin together!' I exclaimed.

" **ALRIGHT!"** Everyone shouted in unison as we walked towards the bloodsucker imagin. The imagin didn't know how to react except to attack us. He went in for a horizontal attack, but Momotaros parried the attack and kicks the imagin back.

Then, Kintaros took control and punched the imagin in the face as he said **, "You'll cry!"**

Urataros then took control and punched the imagin next while saying **, "Won't you be strung along by me?"**

Then, Ryutaros assumes control as he kicks the imagin in the face and said **, "I can't hear you!"**

Finally, Momotaros was last to take control as he grabs the bloodsucker imagin by the neck and headbutts him so hard that he got knocked back because of it. He then pressed the Den-O button on the K-Taros as it played a grand orchestrated tune. The Den-O symbol started glowing a spectrum of colors as Momotaros tossed his sword out of his hand and said **, "Like this, I can have a freaking big climax!"** He pulls out the pass and places it in front of his belt as it called out.

 **CHARGE AND UP**

Once he does so, the train turntable diagonally and moves the Gun Form faceplate out of the way for the Rod Form faceplate to move. The turntable then guided the Rod Form faceplate down to the right leg as the Gun Form and Axe Form faceplates come after. They're all stacked on top of each other as Momotaros crouched down, ready for his dive kick. " **IKUZE! IKUZE! IKUZE!"** Momotaros shouted as he jumped up in the air. He then went in with a dive kick as his foot was consumed with colorful energy. The Rod Form faceplate moved its antennas downwards as Momotaros destroys the bloodsucker imagin on impact, causing a large explosion to occur afterwards.

Team RWBY, Mai, and Deneb all cheered, except Shuichi, as Ruby shouts, "THEY DID IT!"

Shuichi smirked and said to Deneb, "It looks like Kurokuu finally took the first step."

Deneb agreed and replied **, "Yes, your pep talk finally snapped him out of it. In a matter of time, he may be ready for what's to come."**

"Yeah. Come on, Deneb. I don't like to be near this sap fest." I hear Shuichi say as he and Deneb leave.

Team RWBY and Mai, however, rushed towards us as Ruby said, "OHMYOUM!THATARMORISSOCOOL!HOWDIDTHISHAPPEN?!HOWAREYOUGUYSSTILLHERE?!THEMUSICWASSOAWESOME!"

Yang sighed and pulled Ruby's hood down and said, "Breathe, Ruby. You need to calm down."

"It's good to see you guys are all okay." Blake admitted.

Mai punched us in the arm as she said, "Urataros, Kintaros, Ryutaros. I can't believe that you made me all sad when you guys were gone."

I took control as I rubbed my arm to ease the pain. Then, Weiss stood in front of me and said, "You did it."

"Yeah. We did it." I said until I felt Ryutaros take control.

" **YAY! YAY! WE DID IT! WE DID IT!"** Ryutaros cheered as he jumped around.

But, Momotaros took control and stopped him while stating **, "Oi! Stop moving on your own!"**

Then, Urataros took the helm as he said **, "Senpai, looks like it's no good without me."**

" **I just said not to move on your own!"** Momotaros shouted at Urataros.

Kintaros randomly took over and said **, "I bet you're happy to see me!"**

" **Damn it!"** Momotaros said stressfully.

Ryutaros took over again as he jumped around and shouted **, "WE DID IT! WE DID IT! WE DID IT! OH YEAH!"**

I sighed stressfully at the imagins' antics. Well, this is what I wanted, and I'm not taking it back. 'Guys! Stop moving around!' I shouted, trying to get them to stop.

* * *

Back on the Den-Liner, we all clink our glass together as we shouted, "CHEERS **/CHEERS!"** We then took a sip of our drink, celebrating the return of Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros.

Team RWBY all sat together while I sat with Mai. After Blake finished her drink, she looked over to The Owner and asked, "I hate to ask this now, but how did Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros return?"

The Owner took a sip of his champagne and said, "Well, it seems like Kurokuu's strong feelings were able to connect to Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros."

"Well, everything is back to normal." Weiss said as we watched the imagins doing their antics. But out of the blue, she faced her team and asked, "By the way, how did you know that Kurokuu and I were at Tropical Land?"

Team R(W)BY had a guilty look on their face as they began pushing each other to tell Weiss something. Wait a minute. I remember something. On the road, I saw Yang in my rear view mirror! "Wait, I remember now!" I said, which caused Team R(W)BY to look afraid. "Yang, I saw you following me in my rear view mirror! Why were you following us?"

"She was following us?!" Weiss shouted angrily.

"Now, now! We're there to..." Yang drifted off as she didn't know what to say to save herself.

"Yang Xiao Long, Ruby Rose, and Blake Belladona. We will have a talk when we get back." Weiss said in a serious tone as Ruby gulped loudly in response.

Urataros, Kintaros, Ryutaros, and Naomi clinked their drinks once more as they shout, "CHEERS **/CHEERS!"**

" **SHUT UP, YOU GUYS! I THOUGHT WE HAD FINALLY CLEANED THINGS UP AROUND HERE!"** Momotaros complained. But through that mask, I can tell that he misses them just like me.

" **We really did it."** Kintaros said as he sat next to Momotaros.

The imagins start surrounding Momotaros as Urataros said **, "To redo this. Let's get along, Senpai."**

" **Senpai!"** Kintaros and Ryutaros said in unison.

" **I'm no simpleton! Move!"** Momotaros shouted as he pushed Kintaros off of him. He got up from his seat and said **, "I'm taking a bath!"** And with that, he left the room.

We all stayed silent as Yang said, "Wow, what a downer."

As I watched Urataros, Kintaros, Ryutaros, and Naomi messing around, I soon felt some tears coming up. Not wanting to create a scene, I stood up and went towards the other exit. Once I was in the clear, I began wiping my tears away. Damn, I always seem to cry, don't I? Then, I heard the door open, causing me to jump a little until I realize that it was Weiss.

Weiss looked at me and asked, "Kurokuu, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. I don't know why you're asking me that." I said as I finish wiping up the last remaining tears in my eyes.

"For one, you exited the room without saying anything. And two, you were clearly crying."

I laughed awkwardly until I replied, "Yeah, I kinda was. But, it's because I'm so happy to see them again. I really missed them."

"We all did." Weiss agreed.

"Also, we managed to save the day. And for once, I finally took responsibility for my role as a huntsman and Rider. I shouldn't have been so selfish."

"It's fine, Kurokuu. Like I said before, there's nothing bad about being selfish. It's just that when it comes to our job, we have to learn to put others first before ourselves." Weiss said. "It just takes time and patience to learn and understand it."

I smiled at Weiss' words of encouragement and said, "Thanks, Weiss. But, it's gonna be a long journey to become a true huntsman and Rider."

"And we'll be there every step of the way." Weiss said as she held my hand.

I blushed at her bold move, which prompt me to remember something. I suddenly started feeling bold myself as I put her up against the wall. The distance between my face and Weiss was short as I said, "You know, we were having a moment on that ferris wheel until the imagin interrupted it."

"What? Were you expecting something to happen?" Weiss asked with a smirk on her face.

"I don't know…" Then, my forehead touches her's as I continued, "...but I can get a sense about what was gonna happen next."

Weiss rolled her eyes as she said, "Well, best to get it over with then." And without any warning, Weiss grabbed the back of my head and pulled me towards her lips! So many things were swirling around in my head. The close contact. The soft lips. And the taste of her lips that reminds me of apples. My heart was fluttering. I never want this to end! But, it was only a matter of time until Weiss released me, allowing me to move away from her.

We both stared at each other with blush on our face. I tried to get some words out of my mouth, but all I could think about was how intoxicating the kiss was. I inhaled deeply and said one word, "Wow."

"You... have really soft lips." Weiss complimented. She slowly calmed down and grabbed my hand. "Come on, let's get back with the others. We don't wanna give them the wrong idea."

"Right." I said as we both entered back into the dining car.

* * *

 _Back in Ozpin's office, he sat there silently. Pondering deeply about his situation. Then, the sound of the elevator caught his attention as General Ironwood came out of it. He walked towards his desk and asked, "So. You asked me to be here, so what is it? Is it something urgent?"_

 _Professor Ozpin stayed silent for a moment before getting up face to face with James. "Did you interrogate Roman Torchwick?" He asked._

 _James was confused by the out of the blue question, but he responded with, "Yes. It turns out that the person that infiltrated the school was the contractor of Roman. She paid him to rob dust stores and shipments for her and the White Fang. Although Roman doesn't know why, I can see what she's trying to do."_

" _I see. All of this is starting to make sense." Ozpin said as he looked over the footage of the night of the dance._

" _What? What is it? What is starting to make sense?" Ironwood asked._

 _Professor Ozpin sat back down and pulled up a picture of Shuichi. "Do you know who this student is?" Professor Ozpin asked._

" _Shuichi Nakamura. Age 21. Disappeared in time for twenty years until he returned as Kamen Rider Zeronos. What does he have to do with anything? Can you just get to the point?!"_

" _A few days ago, Team RWBY and MSKD encountered Gaoh on their first mission. Luckily, they have successfully eliminated him and the Gaoh-Liner. But before he died, Shuichi interrogated Gaoh himself about the intruder we had, and what he had to say was unnerving." Before Professor Ozpin could continue, he grabbed his mug filled with coffee and took a sip. "Gaoh said in his dying breath that the intruder is more than she seems and how she will become our downfall." He stopped for a moment to take a sip of his coffee. "Judging from the information you and Shuichi gathered, this intruder could be working for them."_

" _Them? You don't mean…"_

" _Yes, the King and Queen. And they're making their next move." Professor Ozpin said as he gripped onto the handle of his mug tightly._

* * *

(A/N:) So, that happened. *Smacking my lips* Anyways, I felt like Kurokuu never truly understood what being a Huntsman and Rider was about. A general idea of the job of a Huntsman and Rider was to fight to protect everyone from threats. And Kurokuu's motives of being Den-O and a huntsman don't align with that because all he wanted to do was to protect his friends, and he wasn't doing it out of selflessness like I established before. So, I decided that this chapter would focus on Kurokuu being irresponsible and having him cope and learn from the mistakes he made. Also, the question you've been waiting for. THE DATE AND KISS! I have been planning this chapter since Chapter 17. But why? Well, I decided that this would be the best time for them to have a shift in their relationship. Weiss is already established that she likes/fallen for Kurokuu way before he did. And Kurokuu just recently, since Chapter 16, started having these feelings. So, having them interact in a different way creates some fun moments.

So, what did you think? Was this chapter good? Leave a review on what you thought about this and I'll see you in the next chapter. BYE!


	22. Chapter 22: The Last Transformation

(A/N:) WHAT IS UP EVERYBODY AND I'M BACK BABY WITH ANOTHER CHAPTER, FINALLY! *ahem* Now, I know you guys are wondering. LGCrusader, WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?! Well, let me explain that. I was taking a temporary hiatus because of some things going on for the past 3 months. I was meaning to get it done around January, but I had finals at that time and I had to postpone it. And once finals was over, I kinda took my time with writing this chapter, so I apologize deeply for making you guys wait this long. But before we start, I want to dedicate one more chapter on some Den-O and Zeronos stuff, so we'll start Volume 3 next chapter. Now, enough stalling for today! For those who are coming back, welcome back! And for those who are just passing by, welcome to Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time!

I do not own the rights to the series, RWBY or Kamen Rider. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth Production and the Kamen Rider Series is owned by Toei Company and Shotaro Ishinomori. Please support the official shows!

"Normal speech"

'Thoughts/ internal communication between OC and imagins'

 _"Third Person/ Flashback"_

 **"Imagin speech"**

* * *

"HURRY!" Mai shouted as we rushed towards the Genm Corporation rooftops. As we kept on running up the stairs, I thought of the events leading up to this. It was just a normal morning until Momotaros picked up an imagin. And from there, Team RWBY and our team spent the entire morning searching for it because it kept going on the move.

It was only until now that Shuichi and Deneb found the imagin at the Genm Corp building. With the contractor. Who was being suspended twenty four stories up in the air. Geez, just what did that guy wish for? Now, all of that lead up to this moment as we were rushing to get to the contractor before he falls to his death. I could feel the exhaustion kick in as we saw the door just a few feet ahead of us.

Mustering what's left within me, I burst through the door with Team RWBY and Mai as we see Deneb fight off the imagin. I looked around for Shuichi and saw him about to use up his last card. Fearing what he would do, I shouted at him, "SHUICHI, STOP!" As Shuichi shifts his attention towards me, the mole imagin kicked Deneb away and flew into the contractor's memories. And if things couldn't get any worse, the rope that is holding the contractor is starting to give way. "KINTAROS, I NEED YOUR HELP!" I shouted while rushing towards the contractor.

' **Got it!'** Kintaros replied as he took over my body. The rope finally snapped as the contractor was about to plummet to his doom, but Kintaros luckily caught the end of the rope just in time. Kintaros growled loudly as he slowly pulled the contactor back up to the rooftops.

After doing so, Mai pulled out a ticket and placed it near his head, displaying the imagin and the date 4/9/2009. Ruby checked Deneb and Shuichi as she asked, "Are you guys alright?"

" **Oh, it's nothing Ruby. I can take the hit."** Deneb reassured.

Kintaros looked over to Shuichi as he puts the card away and disconnects the belt. He places his hands on Shuichi's shoulder and said **, "Shuichi, keep that last card. I'll go."**

Deneb bowed his head down and said gratefully **, "Thank you so much, Kintaros!"**

Kintaros wrapped the Den-O belt around his waist and pressed the yellow button. It played its calming instrumental tune as Kintaros shouts **, "Henshin!"**

 **AXE FORM**

The armor materialized as the yellow armor pieces appeared and combined with the suit. Then, the faceplate appears and attaches with the helmet, completing the transformation.

* * *

 _April 9, 2009_

The Den-Liner dropped us off as we see the mole imagin causing mayhem at a temple. 'Alright, Kintaros! Let's stop him!' I shouted.

" **Agreed."** Kintaros said as he charged straight into the fight. The mole imagin turns around and sees Kintaros, but he couldn't react in time as Kintaros punched him in the face.

The mole imagin stumbled to the ground, but he quickly got back up and exclaimed **, "Den-O?!"**

" **My strength will make you cry!"** Kintaros said as he assembled his weapon. The mole imagin wasted no time in waiting and fired laser beams at him. But, Kintaros already formed his axe and deflected every shot. The mole imagin panicked as Kintaros jumped up high in the air before coming back down and slashing him. Kintaros slashed horizontally before kicking the imagin in the stomach and slashing downwards.

He pushes the imagin back into a tree as the mole imagin pleaded **, "Please! Mercy! Mercy!"** Sadly for him, Kintaros didn't show any sign of that as he places the pass in front of the belt.

 **FULL CHARGE**

Lasers entered the axe as the blade glowed bright yellow. Then, Kintaros threw it up in the air and jumped after it. The mole imagin cowered behind the tree as Kintaros catches his axe in the air and drops back down, chopping the tree and the imagin in half. An explosion occurred as Kintaros said **, "Dynamic Chop."**

* * *

 _October 11, 2017_

The Den-Liner dropped me back in the present at the Genm Corp building as I saw Team RWBY and MS(K)D huddling around the contractor. I walked up to them and said, "I'm back."

"Kurokuu, how'd it go?" Mai asked.

"The imagin is handled. How's the contractor?" I asked.

Mai was about to respond to my question until the contractor finally woke up. He looked at all of us confusingly and asked, "Where am I? What happened?"

Shuichi picks him up and said, "Nothing. Just some issues we had to deal with. Now, get out of here. Exit to the building is over there." The contractor nodded as he quickly left, leaving us alone on the building.

When I look at Shuichi, all I could think about was what I did. I made him waste his card. And now, he only has one left. Still feeling guilt for what I've done, I walked up to him and said, "Shuichi… I just want to say… how sorry I am for-"

"Shut up, I don't want to hear about it." Shuichi interrupted. "What's done is done. It's all in the past. I don't need you bringing it up. Although I can't become Zeronos anymore, I'll still assist you in fighting the Imagins. So, this is now all on you. Got it?" I nodded silently in response. "Good. I'm leaving. Come on, Deneb."

As Shuichi and Deneb walked towards the exit, Ruby asked, "Wait! Where are you going?!"

"Taking a walk around the city." Shuichi responded before leaving.

I stood there silently, still thinking about Shuichi. I can tell he's still upset about me. But now, I need to do everything I can to fight the Imagins and not have Shuichi use his last card. Suddenly, I felt Weiss' hand on my shoulder as she asked, "Kurokuu, are you alright?"

I inhaled deeply and said, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just worried about Shuichi is all."

"He'll get over it soon. But, he's right about you now. You're gonna have to fight the Imagins without the help of Zeronos."

"Yeah, but I still have you guys. Together, we can overcome anything." I said with a smile.

Then, Team RWBY and Mai gathered around me as Yang punched me in the arm and said, "Now, that's the spirit!"

"Man, I'm hungry. You guys want to go out and eat something?!" Ruby asked everyone.

"Ruby, we just ate three hours ago." Mai reminded.

"Yeah, but after all this running, I'm hungry again."

Then, an idea came to mind. "How about we visit the cafe? I'm sure Kasumi would love to have us over and catch up." I suggested.

"Oh, yeah! Your sister makes the best pancakes!" Ruby exclaimed. "Come on! We have no time to waste!" And just like that, Ruby dashed towards the exit, leaving behind a trail of rose petals.

Blake sighed and said, "Well, we should get going before we lose Ruby." Yang and Mai agreed as they went ahead of us.

I look over to Weiss and reached my hand out to her and said, "Shall we?"

"Yeah, let's go." Weiss said with a smile on her face as she grabbed my hand. Our fingers interlocked with each other as we both exited the rooftops.

* * *

 **Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time**

 **Chapter 22: The Last Transformation**

* * *

 _October 10, 2000 Shuichi's POV_

As Team RWBY, Kurokuu, and the Taros all celebrate their victory, I walked over to check Gaoh's body. Sand came off of him as he muttered, "Damn… I can't believe I lost to you kids."

With his life slowly fading away, I pulled out my scroll and showed him the picture of the intruder at the dance. "Gaoh, who is she?" I asked, staring straight into his eyes.

His eyes showed no fear as he replied, "Oh… her."

"Do you know her? Who is she?" I asked urgently, slowly running out of patience.

Gaoh snickered as he said, "Fine, I'll tell you. Not like it matters anyways since your time is running out. She was an associate I work with."

"Does she work with the White Fang?"

Gaoh then began laughing as he said, "Oh man, you don't have a clue don't you? She's not part of the White Fang! She's more than you think she is!"

This damn guy! Him and his pronoun games, I swear! But, more than I think she is? If she's not part of the White Fang, then who does she work for? Then, something clicked in my head. If Gaoh associates himself with the Imagins, does that mean she could be working with him? "Is she working with the King?!" I asked.

"You're not quite there, but you got the big piece of all of this. I work under the King. Her, on the other hand, is working with someone who took the person you cherished away from you."

The moment he said that she's working with someone who stole the person I love away from me, I instantly knew who it was. "The Queen…" I said under my breath.

"Correct…" Gaoh said as his legs slowly start disappearing. "But, it doesn't matter. In the end, your time will run out and the King and Queen will soon take over all of Remnant…" And just like that, Gaoh disappeared with the wind, nothing left of his physical body.

* * *

 _October 11, 2017_

I walked out of the club, gaining no useful information from Junior. Deneb was already waiting outside as he asked **, "So, did you find anything on that intruder?"**

"Nothing. It's like she never exists at all." I replied. I loitered against the wall, pondering about what to do next. I need to find out who she is before she attacks. But, where do I even start now? I instinctively reached into my pocket and pulled out the card holder, which only carried one card. I opened the card holder and pulled the last card out just so I could fidget around with it in my hands. While I was staring at it, all I could think about was when I should use it. But for now, I'll just have to hope that Kurokuu will keep fighting off the Imagins for me until then.

I felt Deneb's hand on my shoulder as he said **, "Let's take a break. You might be able to remember something if you're relaxed."**

I sighed and reluctantly said, "You're right. I think I need to clear my head. You pick where you want to go."

Deneb shook my shoulders excitedly as he said **, "Alright, let's go!"** He led the way as I just followed him. But in the back of my mind, I felt fear creeping up on me. Just how powerful is this intruder that she could end everyone's lives?

* * *

 _Kurokuu's POV_

Team RWBY, Mai, and I walked down the street until we saw the Milk Dipper cafe sign. We all walked to the door and entered inside. Kasumi was sitting quietly at the counter with a bored expression on her face until we entered the room. Her face lit up as she said, "Kurokuu! Everyone! Welcome back!"

"Hello, Kasumi!" Ruby greeted excitedly.

"It's good to see you again." Mai said formally before bowing her head down.

Kasumi smiled and said, "Mai! It's been a while. Please, you don't need to be so formal around me. Just sit down and relax!" We all sat at the counter as she asked, "So, how's everyone?"

"We're doing great! We came back from our first successful mission and the Vytal Tournament is starting next week!" Ruby replied.

"That sounds wonderful! How about I make you guys some food? Anyone up for some fried rice?"

"I'll help!" Ruby said as she dashed into the kitchen.

Yang, Blake, and Mai looked at each other nervously as Yang said, "I'm gonna help too!" Both Yang and Blake quickly rushed into the kitchen, making sure Ruby doesn't go to crazy back there.

Kasumi smiled at them before turning back to me and Weiss. She had a cheeky grin on her face as she asked, "So… how are you two?"

I tried to answer, but all I could stare at is her eyes. Her eyes felt like it was staring deep into my soul. "Um... we're doing great." Weiss answered for me.

"Great, huh? Why is it so great?" Kasumi pressed on.

I could see the nervousness on her face as I took over and said, "Well, it's a great day because… we were training and I got stronger!"

"Training, huh? Interesting. Very interesting."

I soon felt heat rushing up to my head after realizing why Kasumi was asking these questions. I grabbed Kasumi's arm and said to Weiss, "Hey, we'll be right back!" I got up and pulled Kasumi away from Weiss and up to my room. Once Weiss wasn't close enough, I looked at Kasumi and asked, "Okay, why are you doing this to me now?"

"I don't know what you mean!" Kasumi said innocently.

"You know exactly what I mean. The whole 'hinting' shtick!" I shouted softly, trying not to disturb Team RWBY and Mai. "So, are you gonna answer me?"

"I just wanted to know if you guys made any progress yet. You and Weiss look so happy together. And since it's your first official crush, I just want to hear the details!"

I looked at her face, filled with eagerness. I sighed as I gave in and said, "Alright, I'll tell you. When you finally opened my eyes to how I feel about her, I mustered up all the courage I can and asked Weiss to a dance at Beacon."

"Oh my Oum! You asked her?! I'm so happy for you!"

"Yeah. Yeah." I brushed her off. "Afterwards, we hung out a little more and went on our first mission. And after that mission, I finally decided to ask her out on a date."

"A DATE?!" Kasumi shouted. I covered her mouth, making sure that Team RWBY and Mai don't hear us. Once I was in the clear, I took my hand away as she rambled, "So?! How'd it go?! Did you…?"

"Nothing happened. We just had a fun date together." I lied.

She stared straight into my eyes and said, "Liar. There is something more to it! You kissed her, didn't you?" I blushed instantly as I remembered my first kiss. "Aha! You did kiss her!"

I snapped out of my thoughts and shouted, "Don't say that out loud!"

"What? Does anyone know about that?"

I run my hand through my hair and replied, "...No. And Weiss and I intend to keep it that way. Not after what happened during the date."

"What happened?"

"Ruby, Blake, and Yang were stalking us." I said. "If they would go that far to invade our privacy, we might as well not talk about it around them."

"But, you still like Weiss, right?" Kasumi asked.

"Of course, I do liked her. Maybe even…"

"HEY, WHAT'RE YOU TRYING TO DO?!" I hear Yang shout. We both looked at each other before quickly rushing downstairs.

Once we were in the cafe room, we saw two men in black suit stamping a paper on all of our property. This made me angry as I walked up to them and shouted, "HEY! HEY! HEY! GET YOUR HANDS OF THAT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Mai walked up to me and handed me a paper. "They said that they're here to take all your property in order to pay off your debt!" Mai notified.

"WHAT DEBT?!" I scanned through the paper until I saw the debt of one million liens. My eyes bulged out of my sockets as I shouted, "SINCE WHEN ARE WE IN DEBT?! THIS HAS TO BE SOME JOKE!"

"In debt? There has to be some mistake." Kasumi insisted.

"It's not a mistake." The man in black notified. "Someone pulled out a loan and didn't pay it back. As a guarantor, it is Kasumi's job to pay it back."

"Since when?! How would she know about that?!" I shouted back angrily.

"Mind your tongue, boy." The other man in black threatened. "Regardless, if you don't pay it soon, we'll have to just take your property."

Then, I saw the man in black walking over to Nakamura's telescope and placing a stamp on it. Fear ran down my spine as I rushed towards him and said, "DON'T TOUCH THAT! IT'S OFF LIMITS!"

He tried pushing me back, but I stood my ground and pushed him back. I grabbed the telescope and held it close to me as the two men in black face me and said, "IT'S NOT FOR YOU TO DECIDE!"

They were about to charge at me, but I quickly headed for the exit and ran off in a random direction. "KUROKUU!" I hear everyone shout as they all followed me outside. I was outrunning the men in black until a guy on a motorcycle pulled up in front of me.

He was wearing a white motorcycle helmet that covered his entire face, a gray suit with white dress shirt, and black shoes. He took his helmet off, revealing his tanned complexion, slicked-back light brown hair, and his dark brown eyes. Wait, have I seen him before?

He looked at me before getting off his bike and looking at his men behind me. "Guys, guys. You should act more professionally when you're doing your job." The man said.

The men in black bowed their heads down and said, "We apologize, President!"

The "president" sighed and said, "Whatever. You two get out of here. I'll handle it from here." They both immediately complied as they walked away from us.

He looked at me once more before walking past me. Team RWBY and Mai walked up to me as Yang asked while we all stare at him, "Kurokuu, do you know who he is?"

"I have no clue who he is either." I replied.

The president guy walked up to Kasumi and said, "Kasumi, long time no see." What the heck? He knows her? How and when have he met Kasumi? Kasumi had the same confused facial expression, which caused the president guy to sign in disappointment. "How terrible of you to forget me. Even though I'm the man who will be your fiance."

My eyes widen as everyone around me gasped in shock. I felt anger fuming inside me as I clenched my hand tightly. Fiance? FIANCE?!

* * *

 _At the same time, Ryutaros heard the entire conversation as well, making him boil with anger as well. He got up from his seat and said_ _ **, "What did he say? I'm gonna beat him up!"**_ _He ripped up the drawing he had in his hand as he tried to possess Kurokuu, but Urataros and Momotaros got in the way in time and prevented him from doing so._

 _However, Momotaros and Urataros were struggling to hold him back as Momotaros said_ _ **, "HEY, WAIT!"**_

" _ **RYUTA! STOP!"**_ _Urataros shouted as he and Momotaros pushed Ryutaros back. Naomi grabbed Ryutaros' bubble gun to calm him, but Ryutaros only became more annoyed than anything else and pushed her away._

" _ **MOVE!"**_ _Ryutaros shouted as he bolted to the exit. But, Kintaros stopped him in time and pushed him back towards Momotaros and Urataros._ " _ **I'M GONNA BEAT HIM UP! HE ISN'T GONNA LAY A FINGER ON HER!"**_

* * *

I felt intense pain in my chest as I set Nakamura's telescope back where it was. Team RWBY and Mai noticed the condition I was in and covered me as Kasumi and this president guy are talking to each other.

"Kurokuu, what's wrong?" Mai asked.

"Ryutaros. Give me a few minutes and it'll go away in a bit." I reassured. I just need to keep the facade up just a bit longer until they're done.

We all watched as Kasumi made a cup of coffee from the president guy. "How could you forget about me?" He asked as he sat down at the counter. He began recounting the events and said, "It was two years ago. It was right when you started studying coffee to work in your cafe. And wasn't there a fine man who was a regular customer?"

"He knew Kasumi that long ago?" Weiss asked.

"A regular…" I muttered as I tried to remember who he was. A regular from two years ago?

You can hear the ticking of the clock as we waited for Kasumi to reply. As he took a sip of coffee, Kasumi had a face of realization and asked, "Akagi?"

The president, now named Akagi, sighed with relief and said, "Yes! Yes, that's right! Thank goodness! I thought you forgot about me too!"

"Me too?" I muttered to myself. What does he mean by that? Does...he know?

"Then again, all I had were looks. So, it's only natural that you would turn me down. But now, I'm a made man. Got my own business and everything." He then handed Kasumi a card. Akagi then reached into his pocket and pulled out the same paper that the men in black had. "Although, it's a pity that we're reunited like this. But, I think we're both lucky because I would be delighted if…" He then reached into his other pocket and pulled out a small white box. Inside, there was a diamond ring. "...you would marry me."

I started reaching my boiling point as I soon realized that I was right. I marched towards him and took the white box out of his hands. "Sorry, Kasumi ain't marrying to a guy like you! You sent this all up, didn't you?!" I questioned.

Akagi stared down at me and said, "Kurokuu, right? It looks like you came a long way from being a waiter." He looks over my shoulder and stares at Team RWBY before looking back at me. "I remember you serving coffee to me every time I came here. I can tell that you and Kasumi are very close, but I need you to think about this financially. If Kasumi is to be engaged with me, she won't have to worry about anything. Doesn't need to worry about paying the debt, bills, or loans." He then snatched the white box out of my hands and placed it in front of Kasumi. "I'll give you some time to think. I'll be waiting."

And with that, he took the paper and left the cafe, leaving us to ponder what to do next. "So… what now?" Ruby asked.

"I don't know." I replied.

"Maybe we can try helping you with paying off the de-"

"No." I interrupted Ruby. "I'm not dragging any of you guys in this. I'll find a way… somehow."

Weiss sighed and said, "Kurokuu, don't push us away. We can get through this."

"How? My options are limited. If I don't get a decent job, it'll take years to pay all of this off. And if I pursue my huntsman career, I'll leave Kasumi all by herself to do this all for me."

"We could try suing him." Blake suggested. We all turned to her as she said, "I looked up Akagi's name online and got some interesting results. He runs the Akagi Loan Business Company."

"The ALB Company? I heard of that company. It's been shrouded with black rumors about their shady business practices." Weiss informed. "If we could find some dirt on him, we could use that to our advantage."

I rubbed my temples stressfully and said, "Yes, but there's another problem. Kasumi and I don't have the liens to hire a lawyer for our case."

Yang growled angrily and she cracked her hands and said, "How about I handle this? It'll all be over quick."

"Yang, no! We are not resorting to violence!" Mai shouted. "There has to be another way!"

As Team RWBY and Mai continues to discuss about the situation, I look over to Kasumi picking up the white ring box. "Kasumi, what are we gonna do?" I asked Kasumi to get her insight on this.

She opened the box and stared at the wedding ring before closing it back up. "Kurokuu, this cafe means everything to us. A place filled with memories. A place that I call home. I want you to live your life without worrying about me. I'm sorry." Kasumi said as she rushed out the room.

Fearing what she may do, I ran out the door and shouted, "Kasumi, wait!" I see Kasumi hailing a taxi cab before entering inside and driving off to find Akagi. I breathed in and out heavily as I felt my body getting heavier.

Then, Team RWBY and Mai caught up with me and saw the taxi cab drive off. Mai had a worried look on her face and said, "Oh, no. She's not actually going through with this, is she?"

"Hey, what's going on?" We turned our heads around and saw Deneb and Shuichi walking up to us. "It seems like I missed a lot."

Just as he said that, I soon felt a sharp pain in my chest, causing me to cringe from the pain. Everyone began worrying and decided to huddle around me. I realize that Ryutaros was trying to break free again due to Akagi. I breathed slowly and said, "Ryutaros… no… just stay where you are."

' **But… Onee-chan!'** Ryutaros shouted back.

"I know… I'm just as angry as you… But I'll call you when I need you. Okay?"

' **Really? You will?'**

Slowly, I felt the pain go away as the heaviness has been lifted off of me. I breathed softly and replied, "Don't worry. I will."

* * *

" _ **YAY!"**_ _Ryutaros shouted as he pushed Momotaros, Urataros, and Kintaros out of the way._ " _ **We'll stop that bastard together!"**_

 _Momotaros, Urataros, and Kintaros all sighed in unison as Momotaros said_ _ **, "How stressful."**_ _Momotaros sat back down as Urataros and Kintaros leaned against the wall. Ryutaros hopped off the table and began prancing around the room. The dining car was a complete mess. Broken mugs and crumpled up paper are scattered around the room, and some of the tables were knocked over._

 _Momotaros inhaled deeply and said_ _ **, "What a lot of trouble. But… if Ryuta didn't do it, I would've hit that guy! That stuck up bastard!"**_

 _Kintaros strongly agreed and said_ _ **, "If the time came, I'd send him flying! I'd put a lot of force and effort!"**_

" _ **That's good and all, but think about Kasumi's situation."**_ _Urataros intervened._ " _ **She just wants Kurokuu to be happy without worrying about her and the debt. Even if it means sacrificing her own."**_

* * *

 _In the taxi cab, Kasumi is seen sitting quietly, having a stoic expression on her face. She gripped the white ring box tightly until the taxi cab stopped. "Alright, that'll be thirty liens." The driver said. Kasumi paid the driver and exited out of the vehicle before it drove off. She looked up at the large building that spans several stories high with the initials of the company painted on the side. Kasumi took one last breath before entering inside the building._

* * *

 _Meanwhile, Akagi sat comfortably in his office with his feet kicked up on the table. He was fixins up his hair as he muttered to himself, "Akagi, you have the wits, look, and money. At this rate, everything will go my way and Kasumi will be mine."_

 _Then, knocking can be heard on the other side of the door as someone said, "Mr. Toge, she's here."_

" _I see." Akagi said with a smirk as he got up from his chair. "Give me a moment. I need to get ready and I'll call her in then."_

" _Yes, sir." The person on the other side of the door said before walking away. Akagi took off his jacket and opened up his closet. From there, he looked through it, trying to find the right one to wear. But what he doesn't know, a yellow orb was floating behind him as it jumped into his body, causing sand to leak out of his clothes._

* * *

We sat quietly in the cafe, allowing Shuichi and Deneb to process the information. I could see a clear expression of concern on Deneb's face as he said **, "Poor Kasumi. I can't believe that this man is forcing her to marry him."**

On the other hand, I can't seem to read Shuichi's expression. He remained silent the entire time as I said, "I know. But, that's not the only thing that makes me worried. I think Akagi knows about Kasumi's amnesia."

"What? How can you tell?" Mai asked.

"Earlier, when Kasumi said his name, Akagi said that he was afraid that she would forget him too." I answered back.

"How disgusting." Weiss commented.

Yang clenched her hand into a fist and said, "That guy is pitiful. I'm gonna break his nose when I see him."

I looked over at Nakamura's telescope and said, "It's not just that I'm afraid of him taking advantage of her. I'm also afraid that she might… remember."

"Kurokuu. Do you really think you can hide the truth from her forever?" Shuichi asked, finally joining in on the situation.

I thought about his words for a bit before answering. "I don't know. I know eventually she'll remember. But, all I want for her is to just be happy." I looked at Shuichi once more, which prompted me to ask him a question. "Why do you care? You don't seem to mention or give any thought about Kasumi until now."

* * *

 _Akagi puts on his new suit, replacing the gray one with a blue one instead. He sits back down on his chair and pressed the button on his desk. "Bring her in." Akagi said before releasing the button. The door opened, allowing Kasumi to enter inside. "Oh, Kasumi? You're here already? Then again, you've always been quick about your decision when it comes with family. I suppose some part of Nakamura has rubbed off on you."_

 _Kasumi had a confused look on her face as she asked, "Excuse me, who?"_

 _Akagi remained quiet for a moment, making sure that Kasumi wasn't joking. And as he expected, she wasn't. "You really have forgotten about him." Akagi said before smirking mischievously. As he walked towards Kasumi, sand started pouring out of his clothes until green translucent imagin jumped out of him and flew off._

* * *

"I don't. I don't care if she doesn't remember me because I don't have any personal connections with her myself. Besides, I rather not get too close with my future fiance. It gets in the way of doing my job." Shuichi responded straightforwardly.

"Too close?" I muttered to myself.

' **Oi, Kurokuu! There's an imagin around here!'** Momotaros alerted me.

I stood up from my seat and asked, "Where is he?"

' **He's close!'** Momotaros said. I looked outside the window and saw what seemed to be an imagin with a grasshopper motif standing on the rooftops across from the cafe.

I faced back towards Team RWBY and MSKD as Mai asked, "What happened? Is there an imagin?"

"Yeah, he was on the rooftops." I informed everyone. I turned to Shuichi and asked, "Shuichi, I need you to do me favor. Can you please stop my sister from doing what she's about to do?"

Shuichi nodded his head and said, "Yeah, got it."

I felt some relief being lifted off my shoulders as I said, "Thank you. Ryutaros, let's go."

' **YAY! I'VE BEEN CALLED!'** I hear Ryutaros exclaim before jumping into my body. But as soon as he jumped in, his expression changed from excitement to anger when he saw Shuichi standing next to him. Ryutaros walks over to Shuichi and pointed his finger gun at his chest and said **, "I hate you, but Onee-chan needs to be saved. Make sure you bring her back. If not, I'll kill you."**

Shuichi kept a stoic face as he slapped Ryutaros' finger gun away from his chest and said, "Don't make threats you can't do, but sure. I was going to do that anyway."

Ryutaros pushed Shuichi away as he pulled out the Den-O belt and wrapped it around his waist. He presses the purple button, causing it to play a hip-hop tune. " **Henshin!"** Ryutaros said before swiping the pass over the belt.

 **GUN FORM**

The suit materialized as the purple armor pieces appeared and combined with the suit. Lastly, the faceplate appeared and combined with the helmet, completing the transformation. Ryutaros does a quick twirl before rushing outside. He snaps his fingers, which causes the Den-Bird to appear. Ryutaros hops on the Den-Bird and drives off to go after the anthopper imagin.

* * *

" _RYUTAROS, WAIT!" Weiss shouted as Ryutaros drove off. She sighed stressfully and said, "That dolt! He's trying to go fight the imagin on his own!"_

" _Don't worry, he's not." Mai said as she faced everyone. "Ruby, Weiss, you're with me. Blake, Yang, Deneb, you're going with Shuichi. Is everyone clear on that?" Everyone nodded in unison. "Alright, let's go!" Mai said as she, Ruby, and Weiss ran after Ryutaros while Blake, Yang, Deneb, and Shuichi rush to the ALB building._

* * *

Ryutaros followed the anthopper imagin as it hopped from location to location. We kept following him until we reached to a deserted trainyard. As Ryutaros hopped off the bike, I warned him, 'Ryutaros, keep an eye out for him. I have a bad feeling about this.'

" **Don't worry, Kurokuu. I can handle him."** Ryutaros said as he assembled his gun with the Den-Gasher pieces. The abandoned trainyard was dead quiet. No sign of life anywhere. Ryutaros kept skipping around as he looked through the windows of the trains.

As Ryutaros kept on skipping, I see a flash of green past by us as I shouted, 'Ryutaros, behind!'

He quickly reacted and fired in the direction, only to hit no one. Ryutaros lets his shoulders drop and said **, "I missed! He's a fast bastard that's for sure."** He proceeded to walk forward until he suddenly stopped in place. " **Just kidding. He's too slow."**

Suddenly, he fired his gun at his left, blasting a hole in an abandoned train car. The smoke cleared up, revealing the anthopper imagin blocking the attack with a shovel. He rests his shovel on his shoulder and said **, "The Den-O's gun user? Aren't a bit young to fight?"**

" **I'm not a kid."** Ryutaros said as he fired his gun again.

This time, the anthopper imagin jumped out of the train car in time and landed a few feet in front of us. The anthopper imagin twirls his shovel around before pointing it at Ryutaros and asked **, "There are four of you, correct? If I kill you first, would they all die with you? Or will I have to pick them off one by one?"**

" **What're you talking about?"** Ryutaros asked.

The more I thought about it, the more it all made sense. It was all a trap. He revealed himself on purpose in order to lead us away from the group and into a confined area. 'Ryutaros! He's been targeting us since the beginning! We have to pull out and regroup with the others so we have a chance!'

" **Shut up! I got it!"** Ryutaros said as he fired at the anthopper imagin. The imagin deflected the blasts with his shovel while charging towards us. He slashed horizontally, attempting to decapitate us. Luckily, Ryutaros managed to roll out of the way, but the confined area that we're in limits our movements. Damn it, we need help and fast!

* * *

 _Kasumi pulls out the white ring box and handed it back to Akagi. Akagi had a shocked expression on his face as he asked, "Kasumi, you can't be serious?! What about your shop? Are you just gonna give it up?!"_

" _I'll handle this by myself. Besides, I've been working on my own for a few months now since Kurokuu went off the Beacon." Kasumi replied. She had a small smile on her face as she said, "You know, it's strange how Kurokuu always worries about me being happy. He never acted like that before until recently. But, he shouldn't be like that. There's so much to see in this world. And I want him to experience that without me holding him down. So as the older sibling, that should've been my responsibility. That's why I'm doing this own my own." Kasumi stood up and bowed her head down. "Thank you for the offer, but I'll have to decline."_

 _Kasumi was making her way towards the door until Akagi stood up and asked, "Why?!" This stopped Kasumi in place as he continued, "Two years ago, you only had eyes for Nakamura. That's why I didn't make a move. But now, he's gone."_

 _Kasumi was still confused by who was Akagi referring to as she asked again, "Nakamura? Who is he? You keep on mentioning his name like I know him."_

" _I know you remember, so stop playing dumb! Nakamura! Your fiance! SHUICHI NAKAMURA!" Akagi shouted._

* * *

 _Shuichi, Deneb, Blake, and Yang ran towards the entrance of the ALB building as the receptionist in the front asked them, "Excuse me, did you schedule an appointment?"_

" _Where's Akagi?" Shuichi asked menacingly, slamming his hands against the table._

 _She was immediately frightened as she answered, "He's on the top floor!" Shuichi looked back at Deneb, Blake, and Yang to see if they heard the information. They all shook their heads yes as they rush towards the stairs. As they left, the receptionist grabbed her walkie talkie and shouted, "Bring in security! We have intruders coming in!"_

* * *

Ryutaros fired wildly into the train car as the anthopper imagin dodges every single shot. I started getting frustrated at him and said, 'Ryutaros, this isn't working. We have to move into an open area so you have a better chance of seeing and hitting the imagin!'

" **I SAID I GOT IT!"** Ryutaros shouted as he fired three shots at the imagin. The first blast destroyed part of the car, the second shot hit the anthopper imagin, and the third shot launched him outside the car. Ryutaros snickered and said **, "See? I said I had it."** Just as he said that, I see the anthopper imagin roll out from underneath the train car and slashed Ryutaros in the ankle.

I panicked and shouted, 'Ryutaros, now!' Ryutaros was about to fire his gun until I felt a sharp pain coming from behind. Ryutaros fell onto his knees as the voice behind us started laughing maniacally. I quickly realized how bad the situation became, we now have two imagins to deal with.

Ryutaros slowly got back on his feet and laid against the train car, giving us a good look at the other imagin. He looked exactly the same as his counterpart, but the weapon he wields is a axe with the head in a shape of a violin. He jumped around excitedly and said **, "I GOT YOU! I GOT YOU!"**

" **Don't frolic."** The main anthopper imagin said as he pointed his shovel at us. " **Make sure to kill him slowly. I want him to die remembering our faces."**

" **I really don't like you guys. I'm gonna defeat you two, okay? I can't hear you!"** Ryutaros said arrogantly. But, the twin anthopper imagins don't heed his warning as they both running along the train car's wall and slashed Ryutaros at the same time, knocking him down. Ryutaros got back up and fired wildly, but the twin anthopper imagins simply kept on deflecting and dodging the shots while attacking Ryutaros. The main anthopper imagin kicked Ryutaros down to the ground and attempted to decapitate him, but Ryutaros managed to block the attack and kick him away. But, this didn't last very long as the maniacal brother of the twin anthopper imagins jumps in and pins Ryutaros down.

The main anthopper imagin wiped some of the dirt off his shovel as he said **, "Well? Aren't you going to defeat us? I can't hear you."**

" **I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"** The maniacal brother shouted. Ryutaros pushed the maniacal anthopper imagin off of him and rolled out of the way in time just before the maniacal imagin went in for the attack.

But, the main anthopper imagin was just waiting for us as he slashed Ryutaros across the chest and pinned him to the wall. I could feel our aura slowly draining as I said, 'Ryutaros, we have to pull out now! We can't handle these two in a small area! We need help!'

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get through to Ryutaros' arrogance as he shouted **, "I WON'T DO THAT!"** Then, the main anthopper imagin pulled Ryutaros away from the wall and slashed him across the chest once more, causing him to stumble into the maniacal anthopper imagin. The maniacal anthopper imagin pinned Ryutaros against the wall, but Ryutaros managed to push the imagin away and get a clear shot on him. But before he could do that, the main anthopper imagin jumped in and knocked Ryutaros' gun far away from his hands.

The maniacal anthopper imagin took advantage of this and drop kicked us down to the ground. Ryutaros struggled to get back on his feet as I hear Momotaros shout **, 'OI, BRAT! JUST SWITCH OUT ALREADY! YOU CAN'T HANDLE THESE GUYS!'**

" **I'M NOT GONNA DO IT!"** Ryutaros shouted.

' **Ryuta! There's no choice in this matter! We'll force you out ourselves!'** Kintaros shouted.

' **Ryuta, this isn't the time to be stubborn!'** Urataros said.

'Ryutaros… we have to switch out...now..' I muttered softly. I could feel the pain setting in as our aura defense lowers.

The twin anthopper imagins caught up to Ryutaros as they watch him struggle to reach for the gun. The maniacal anthopper imagin jumped around excitedly as he asked **, "WHAT? YOU'RE DOWN ALREADY? HOW EMBARRASSING!"**

The main anthopper imagin stood on top of the train car as he stared at the blade of the shovel and said **, "I knew this was going to be too easy. Kids are just too stubborn these days."** I soon felt fear running through my spine as the main anthopper imagin jumped off of the train car and delivered a devastating whack in the back.

Ryutaros cried in pain as the main anthopper imagin picked him up and slashed him across the chest. I felt our aura finally break as Ryutaros fell back in front of the maniacal brother. He had a twisted grin on his face as he raised his axe up and began whaling on us.

* * *

 _Akagi walked over to Kasumi and said, "I really hated Shuichi. I never understood why you fell for him. He has nothing compared to me. He has no money. He doesn't have the looks. And the fool is interested in something as dumb as astronomy. And yet, you still fell for him."_

 _Kasumi soon felt a sharp pain going through her head as she sees something. A memory. A memory of someone. "Who? I… don't understand…?" Kasumi muttered._

" _You don't have to understand. You don't have to remember!" Akagi said as he sat down next to her. He quickly reached for her hands and held it gently and said, "Shuichi Nakamura is gone now. He's dead. That's why I set all of this up, so that you will finally be mine."_

* * *

 _Blake, Yang, Shuichi, and Deneb rushed up the stairs as quickly as possible, hoping to stop Kasumi from doing what she's doing. But once they reached the top floor, they were met with a group of ten security guards, all armed with tasers. Yang groaned and said, "Damn it! They're in the way!"_

" _We're just gonna have to pass through them." Shuichi said as he cracked his knuckles and charged into the group. He knocked out the first guy with a single punch, but the rest of the guards started pushing him back. Blake, Yang, and Deneb then joined on in and aided Shuichi in taking down the guards._

 _Yang punched one of the guards out cold before catching another guard's attack and tossing him into the wall. Blake maneuvered around the guards with her quick cat-like movements and fired off a flash round, blinding all of the guards in the room. And lastly, Deneb took advantage of this situation and picked up one of the unconscious guards and tossing him into the group, knocking them all down._

* * *

 _Ruby, Weiss, and Mai kept on running towards Ryutaros' location as fast as they could, but their feet could only take them so far. Mai checked her scroll once more to see where Ryutaros was, but what she saw made her heart drop into her stomach. Kurokuu's aura was completely depleted. In her panicked state, Mai stopped Ruby and said, "Ruby, go on without us! Use your semblance to get there as quickly as possible!" She then gave Ruby her scroll. "NOW GO!"_

" _On it!" Ruby shouted before leaving Mai and Weiss in the dust, leaving behind her signature red roses._

* * *

Numb. I feel numb everywhere. Even though I'm still in my armor, I could still feel the sweat building up inside me and blood rushing out of my many wounds. But even in this state we're in, Ryutaros is still trying to reach for the gun. I could hear the twin anthopper imagins laughing sinisterly as they just stand by and watch Ryutaros struggle. These damn imagins. They're completely twisted.

Ryutaros was an inch away from his gun as he muttered **, "Mind… if I… beat you…? I… can't hear… you…"**

'Ryutaros…' I muttered. No. It can't end right here. I had so many close calls before and this isn't any different. I gotta get back up. Since Ryutaros was out of commission, I regained control of my body. But with the state I'm in, I wasn't able to lift my arms, let alone get back up on my feet.

Now, all I could do was watch as the twin anthopper imagins surround me. The maniacal anthopper imagin jumped around and said **, "THE DEN-O IS DOWN! DOWN!"**

The main anthopper imagin walked over to me and kicked me over so I could face him. He sighed softly as he raised his shovel and said **, "I thought he would be more of a challenge!"**

I closed my eyes as I felt the blade of the shovel draw closer and closer until I heard a familiar voice, "KUROKUU!" It was then followed by the sound of bullets being fired as the twin anthopper imagin got knocked back. However, they quickly got back up and made their escape. I felt my vision become blurred as I saw a red blob figure firing at the twin anthopper imagins, but they manage to outrun her bullets. She sighed stressfully before she saw me and said, "OH MY OUM! KUROKUU!"

She got closer to me, giving me a better view of her face. I realized that the person who saved me was Ruby. She had a terrified expression on her face as she said, "Kurokuu! Hold on!" Ruby reached for my belt and disconnected it, causing my armor to dematerialize and Ryutaros to exit my body. "Oh Oum, you have so many wounds." Ruby commented. Then, the world around me started to become darker as the last thing I heard from her was, "GUYS! I FOUND KUROKUU! HE'S IN A REALLY BAD SHAPE! WE HAVE TO RUSH HIM TO THE HOSPITAL!"

* * *

 _Ruby was on the scroll with Weiss as Weiss said, "Just wait there! Mai said that the Den-Liner will come and pick you up. We'll be there in two minutes!"_

" _Okay! Got it!" Ruby said as she ended the call. She faced back at Kurokuu, who had his eyes closed. Fear was instilled in her as she said, "No. No. No. No. No. Come on, Kurokuu! Don't die on me! You can't leave us! You can't leave Weiss! Not after everything I went through just to get you guys together!" Ruby quickly checked on Kurokuu for his pulse as she placed two fingers on his neck. Fortunately, Ruby managed to find a pulse on Kurokuu, but it was slow and weak._

 _Relief soon washed over Ruby until the sound of running footsteps caught her attention. She looked up and saw the fearful look on Weiss' face as she shouted, "RUBY! KUROKUU!"_

 _Weiss and Mai rushed towards them as Mai asked, "What happened? Where's the imagin?!"_

" _They got away!" Ruby replied._

" _They? There was more than two? Damn it, Ryutaros that idiot!" Mai shouted as she looked up in the sky for the Den-Liner to appear._

 _Ruby looked over to Weiss as she tried shaking Kurokuu awake. "Come on, Kurokuu! Wake up! Don't die on me, you dolt!"_

" _Weiss, he'll be fine. He's still alive." Ruby reassured. Weiss then stopped shaking Kurokuu as she held onto Kurokuu's hands tightly._

 _The seconds crawled like hours as they wait for the Den-Liner to appear. Silence filled the air until the cry of the Den-Liner caught their attention. They looked back up in the sky and saw the Den-Liner exit from the portal as Mai said, "Come on! We gotta get Kurokuu on the train!" Ruby and Weiss both nodded as they lift Kurokuu's body off the ground. The Den-Liner quickly landed, allowing Ruby, Weiss, and Mai to board onto the train before it took off again._

 _Once they entered the Sands of Time, Ruby, Weiss, and Mai carried Kurokuu into the dining car, where they see Momotaros, Urataros, and Kintaros treating Ryutaros' wounds. "Ryutaros! Is he okay?" Ruby asked, her voice filled with concern._

" _ **I don't know. Just bring Kurokuu over here!"**_ _Urataros quickly responded._ " _ **Senpai, find some pillows quick!"**_

" _ **Got it!"**_ _Momotaros replied as he reached over the counter and grabbed some extra pillows in a crate._

 _Ruby, Weiss, and Mai slowly set Kurokuu down on a bench as Momotaros placed a pillow behind him. They also did the same for Ryutaros, who was sitting across from Kurokuu. Once they got the two in place, Momotaros and Weiss watch Kurokuu worryingly, hoping that he would wake up soon._

" _ **Damn, those bastards did a number on them. If I only I was strong enough to kick Ryutaros out!"**_ _Momotaros shouted as he hit the wall with his hand._

" _Momotaros, there's nothing you could do. Ryutaros was just being too stubborn to switch out." Ruby reassured Momotaros._

" _ **Ruby-chan is right. Ryuta was in over his head."**_ _Urataros agreed._

" _ **Ryuta. Just hang on. We'll get The Owner and Naomi to come and fix you up."**_ _Kintaros said._ " _ **Those imagins. The two of them against one. How cowardly."**_

" _ **That's right! But that's not gonna stop us from kicking their asses!"**_ _Momotaros proclaimed as he slammed his foot against the bench and lean on it._

" _ **That's right! We'll avenge Kurokuu and Ryuta!"**_ _Kintaros agreed as he cracked his neck._

 _Mai and Ruby looked over to Weiss, who was holding Kurokuu's hand. Seeing the worried expression on Weiss' face compels Mai to walk over to her and say, "Weiss, don't worry. He'll be fine. We're gonna bring him to Vale Mercy Hospital to patch him up."_

 _Weiss inhaled softly and deeply before she nodded and said, "Good. The faster we can get their the better."_

* * *

 _Blake, Yang, Shuichi, and Deneb marched towards Akagi's office as Yang kicked the door open, causing Akagi to jump out of his seat. Akagi was completely baffled by this as he shouted, "What the?! You kids again?! How did you-? SECURITY!"_

" _Don't bother. They aren't coming. It's just you and us." Yang said as she walked menacingly towards him._

 _Filled with fear, Akagi stepped away from Yang, trying to save himself from her wrath. Kasumi looks at everyone and notices Deneb, who she has never seen before. And standing next to Deneb is Shuichi, who she remembers fondly. Kasumi smiles and said, "Shuichi! It's been a while. How are you?"_

" _Shuichi?" Akagi asked in disbelief as he stares at Shuichi. He shook his head in denial and said to himself, "No, he can't be. Probably just a younger brother of Nakamura. That's why he looks so similar to him."_

" _Who is this Nakamura?" Kasumi asked once more. Shuichi stared at Kasumi with a stoic expression on his face, which in turn cause Kasumi stared at him back, looking over to him for answers. But as soon as Kasumi made eye contact with Shuichi, she saw something within him. Through his facade, she saw pain and loneliness. Something that Kasumi has seen and experienced before._

 _Yang grabbed Akagi by the collar and sucker punched him in the face, leave a large bruise behind. "Alright, I'm only gonna say this once. Remove the loan that you placed on Kasumi or I'm gonna give you more than just a bruised face." Yang threatened as she reached down and got a firm grip on Akagi's "jewels"._

 _Akagi inhaled deeply and lied through his teeth, "I don't know what you're talking about! She has a loan to pay right n-OW!"_

 _Yang then began squeezing his jewels and shouted, "DON'T PLAY DUMB! REMOVE IT NOW OR YOU CAN SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR JEWELS!"_

" _ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT! I'LL REMOVE THE LOAN OFF OF KASUMI! JUST PLEASE, LET GO OF MY JEWELS!" Akagi pleaded._

 _Yang inhaled sharply before letting go of him. Akagi quickly scrambled back onto his feet as Yang said, "Well, do it! I'm not leaving till you do it right in front of me!" Akagi nodded as he walked over to the computer and began removing the loan off of Kasumi's account._

" _There, it's done. Are we good?" Akagi asked._

 _Yang then smirked as she grabbed Akagi's shoulder and sat on his lap. "See? It wasn't that hard now was it?" Yang said playfully as her hand glides down along the collar of his jacket. Then suddenly, Yang grabs him by the collar once more and brought him close to her face as she said, "But if I hear from Kasumi that she has to pay off a loan that you placed on her again, I'll come find you again and crush more than your tiny jewels, got it?!"_

 _Akagi shivered in fear as he said, "Yes ma'am."_

 _Yang smiled and said, "Good." She squeezed his nose before hopping off of his lap and making her way back towards Blake and Deneb. Blake and Deneb looked at Yang in shock, which prompted her to ask, "What?"_

" _ **You are a scary person."**_ _Deneb commented as he covered his own jewels, still wincing at the thought that it could happen to him._

 _Blake looked at Yang and said, "I don't know if I should be scared of you or…"_

 _She was then interrupted by Yang wrapping her arm around her shoulder and said, "I'll let you decide that."_

 _Deneb cleared his throat and said_ _ **, "Well, I believe we should escort Kasumi home safely. After everything she went through today, I think it's best for her."**_

" _Agreed." Shiuchi said before facing Kasumi. "Come on. We'll take you home."_

" _Thank you very much, but I think I can walk home on my own." Kasumi protested._

 _Blake was about to object until her scroll started ringing. She looked at the caller and saw that it was Mai. Blake answered the call and said, "Hello?" The call wasn't on speaker so no one could hear what's going on. "What? Is he okay? I see. We'll be there right now."_

 _Blake ended the call as Yang asked, "Who was it?"_

" _Mai. Something happened to Kurokuu." Blake responded._

" _Kurokuu, what happened to him? Did something happen?" Kasumi asked._

" _It's nothing really. I just have to meet up with him and the rest of our team." Blake said. She looked over to Shuichi and said, "Shuichi, why don't you take Kasumi home. Deneb and Yang will come with me."_

 _Shuichi sighed stressfully and said, "Okay, but you should tell me what's going on first-"_

" _We'll text you later. For now, just help Kasumi get home." Blake insisted._

" _Alright, fine. Come, Kasumi." Shuichi said as he exited the building with Kasumi following him from behind._

 _Once they left, Blake, Yang, and Deneb left afterwards. They exited the building as Deneb asked_ _ **, "If I may ask, what has happened to Kurokuu that you had to keep it a secret to Kasumi and Shuichi?"**_

" _Kurokuu is injured from the fight with the imagin. He's currently hospitalized." Blake said._

" _Oh, no. Is he gonna make it?" Yang asked worryingly._

 _Blake nodded her head yes and said, "Yeah, he'll live. If Ruby didn't come in time, Kurokuu would probably not survive. Mai said that they're gonna bring him to Vale Mercy Hospital. I suggested we make our way there now."_

" _ **Agreed. We must make haste."**_ _Deneb said as they rushed towards the Vale Mercy Hospital._

* * *

 _The walk from the ALB company to the cafe was a silent one. Shuichi and Kasumi hasn't spoken a word since they left. All Kasumi could do was just stare at Shuichi. Wondering what Akagi meant by him possibly being a little brother of someone she loved named Nakamura. But the question she is trying to figure out was who was Nakamura?_

 _All of this is hard for Kasumi to wrap her head around. She knows for sure that she hadn't been in a relationship for a long time. But thinking back at that random memory, she's starting to second guess herself. That memory made Kasumi feel this familiar warmth inside, as if she felt it before._

 _Kasumi soon started feeling guilt grow within her. How could she forget about someone who loved her? Maybe Shuichi could help Kasumi remember who Nakamura is?_

 _They both soon arrive at the Milk Dipper as Shuichi opened the door for her and said, "Well, you're home now. I really must get going. My team is waiting for me."_

 _Shuichi was ready to leave Kasumi right there until she said, "Wait!" This caused Shuichi to stop in place and face towards her. "Before you leave, how about I treat you to a meal? It's the least I could do for making you go through all the trouble for saving me."_

 _Shuichi was ready to deny the offer. But as soon as he stared into her eyes, he felt this strange inviting nature around her. And this inviting nature caused Shuichi to say, "That sounds good." What was he saying? This ain't what he wanted. He had to get back to the team. He promised not to get close to her. But why now is he falling apart?_

 _Kasumi smiled as she entered the cafe and said, "Well, come in. I can cook up a pretty good meal."_

 _Shuichi sighed stressfully at the situation he accidentally put himself in. Obviously, it would be extremely rude for Shuichi to just leave her when he already accepted her invitation. Keeping his head up, Shuichi stood up straight and entered inside._

* * *

 _Akagi rubbed the bruise on his face as he limped his way towards his motorcycle. His plan. His plan that he worked on for weeks. It was all ruined by a group of kids and some weird monster thing. "Damn that blonde!" Akagi cursed as he sat on the bike. He sat there quietly, reflecting on his failure. There were two people that stood out. One was Yang trying to torture him, and the other was "Shuichi"._

 _Since we did Nakamura have a brother? Better yet, why do they have the same name? Well, it doesn't matter anymore. He's just gonna have to move on. Akagi reached into his pockets and grabbed his keys. He was about to put it into the ignition until a monstrous looking hand grabbed Akagi's wrists. He looked up at the figure and saw the anthopper imagin._

 _He screamed at the top of his lungs as he tries to break free from the imagin, but to no avail. The anthopper imagin pinned him against the wall and said_ _ **, "Don't mind me, but I'll be using your body for awhile."**_

" _WHAT?! NO WAY! I'M NOT GONNA GET POSSESSED BY YOU!" Akagi shouted as he still struggled to break free._

 _The anthopper imagin sighed and said_ _ **, "Who said you had a choice. Now let me in."**_ _In an instant, the anthopper imagin jumped into Akagi's body, changing his eye color from dark brown to green with a black sclera and a green streak running through his hair._ " _ **Now, let the plan commence."**_

* * *

 _Kasumi walked over to the counter and placed down a slice of cake in front of Shuichi. "Here you go. I know it's isn't much, but I made it extra sweet for you. Giving it that extra punch." Kasumi said._

 _Shuichi stared at the slice of cake before picking up the fork and cutting a pieces of it off. He picked it up with the fork and placed it in his mouth. The cake itself is very fluffy and light and Shuichi could taste the sweet taste of whipped cream and strawberries. He gripped onto the fork tightly as he ate more and more of the cake._

 _Kasumi giggled at Shuichi and asked, "I assume you liked the cake?" Shuichi was about to respond until he started choking on the cake. Kasumi quickly realized what was happened as she poured him a cup of coffee and said, "Here, drink this slo-"_

 _Shuichi snatched the cup of coffee out of her hands and drank it. But since the coffee was extremely hot, it singed the roof of his mouth causing Shuichi to shout, "HOT!"_

 _Kasumi sighed as she grabbed the napkin and said, "If you let me finish, I could've warned you how hot it was." She walked over to the other side of the counter, where Shuichi is sitting, and softly wiped away the hot coffee and whipped cream around his face. Shuichi's face lit bright red at the close contact as he grabbed the napkin out of Kasumi's hand and cleaned himself up. "So, what did you think about the cake?"_

 _Shuichi cleared his throat and said, "It's… not bad…"_

 _Kasumi rolled her eyes at his response and said, "Well, what just happened says otherwise."_

 _Shuichi set his fork down and said while bowing his head down, "Thank you for the meal."_

" _You're quite welcome." Kasumi replied as she picked up the plate and fork off the counter._

 _As she brought the plate and fork to the sink, Shuichi looked over to his right and saw his telescope from twenty years ago. The moment he saw it, he remembered the memories he had with it. And the one that stood out clearly was his first kiss with Summer. Even though the night was cold, when he was with her, everything felt warmer._

 _Kasumi takes note of Shuichi's fascination with the telescope and asked, "You like the telescope?"_

 _Shuichi jumped back to reality and replied, "No, not really. It just a reminds me of something."_

" _Oh, you have those moments too?" Kasumi asked again. Shuichi raised his eyebrow at the remark as she continued, "Sadly, I don't remember when I got this telescope. But for some reason, I have this weird connection to it. Like it's somehow important to me." They both stare at the telescope for a bit until Kasumi said, "Well, enough about me. Let's talk about you. How did you meet my brother?"_

" _He's in the same team as me." Shuichi replied._

" _I see. If I may ask, I asked you if you were friends with Kurokuu a while back. You said that you guys weren't. Why is that?"_

 _Shuichi eyed Kasumi suspiciously as he replied, "I just want to keep things professional between us. We're teammates, nothing more, nothing less."_

" _Well, what's wrong with being friends?" Kasumi asked._

" _In our line of work, getting too attached with your team could be a bad thing. And in my case, it's complicated."_

 _Kasumi stares at him for a bit and asks, "May I give you a piece of advice?" Shuichi nodded yes as Kasumi placed her hands on top of his. "I may not know what you're going through, but I can tell you one thing. You think that pushing people away is a good thing, but it's not. There will always be someone there for you. Especially your team." Shuichi thinks about her words for a bit as she said, "Just think about it. Okay?" Shuichi nodded yes to her question, which made Kasumi smile. "Well, you best be off now. I wouldn't want to keep you team waiting."_

 _Shuichi bowed his head down and said, "Thank you for the meal." As he stood up from his chair and walked towards the door, Shuichi stopped for a moment and asked, "Kasumi. You don't mind if I ask you something before I leave?"_

" _Sure. I'm all ears." Kasumi replied._

" _I heard from Kurokuu about what you did. Were you really gonna marry yourself off to him?"_

 _Kasumi had a surprised look on her face as she said angrily, "What? No! I wouldn't marry myself off to him! I have so dignity you know?!" Kasumi inhaled and exhaled slowly as she slowly calmed down. "But marry him or not, it still doesn't change my decision. If it meant allowing Kurokuu to live on happily, then I would put him before me in a heartbeat. Besides, that's what being a big sister is about."_

 _Shuichi was taken back by her words. He didn't expect something like that to come out of her. Shuichi assumed that she would be more like Kurokuu, but he was wrong. He could see something within Kasumi that Kurokuu doesn't have yet, selflessness._

 _Shuichi could see why his future self could be with someone like her. And, Kasumi reminds Shuichi a lot about a certain rose. He bowed his head down and said, "I see. Thank you, but I must get going."_

 _Kasumi bowed back and replied, "Goodbye. Say hello to my brother for me!"_

 _Shuichi nodded yes as he headed towards the door. He was about to reach for the door knob until it turned to the left on its own. The door opened, revealing it to be a possessed Akagi. Shuichi quickly analyzed the threat and reached for his sword in his sheath, but the possessed Akagi swiftly kicked Shuichi in the stomach to knock him back. He falls back towards the counter as Kasumi stares at the possessed Akagi in fear._

 _The possessed Akagi quickly rushes over to Kasumi and locks his arm around her neck, not allowing her to escape. Shuichi got back up and switches his sword into a crossbow and points it at the possessed Akagi. But, Shuichi couldn't get a clear shot as Akagi used Kasumi as a shield. He smirked menacingly and said_ _ **, "Bring me the Den-O or else she dies! Meet me at the docks"**_ _And with that, Akagi rendered Kasumi unconscious by pinching the nerve in her neck._

 _Shuichi growled angrily as he shouts, "Like hell I'll let you escape!" He quickly stood back up and rushes towards him, but the possessed Akagi dropped the smoke grenade on the ground and kicked Shuichi back. Smoke filled the entire room as Shuichi heard the possessed Akagi make his escape through the door. "WAIT!" Shuichi shouted as he pushed through the smoke and exited out of the building, only to see Akagi jumping from rooftops to rooftops. Shuichi sighed stressfully as he shouts, "DAMN IT!" He brushes his hair back as he reaches into his pockets and pulls out his scroll._

 _He quickly dials Mai's number and waits for her to pick up. "Hello?" Mai said._

" _Mai, we have a problem." Shuichi stated._

* * *

I could slowly feel my senses coming back to me as the first thing I felt was pain. Pain in my arms, legs, and everywhere in general. I slowly opened my eyes and realized that I was in hospital. I looked around the room and saw Ruby and Yang sitting quietly in their chairs across from me while Blake was staring out the window. The light entering through the window indicates that it's already late in the afternoon. How long was I out for?

I was about to get up until I felt something warm in my right hand. I looked over to my right and saw Weiss holding my hand. My sudden movement woke her up as she looked up and said, "Kurokuu, you're… awake."

I gave her a reassuring smile and said, "Looks like you are too. We should really stop meeting each other like this."

"You dolt…" Weiss insulted as she hugged me.

"KUROKUU, YOU'RE AWAKE!" Ruby cheered as she joined in with the hugging session.

Yang shakes her head as she walks over to Ruby and pulls her away. "Easy there, Ruby. Kurokuu just woke up. It's not a good idea to break his back now."

Blake walks over to me and says, "It's good to see that you're awake. How do you feel?"

"Sore everywhere and my throat is killing me." I replied. I felt Weiss tap my shoulder as she passed me a glass of water. "Thanks, Weiss." I said graciously as I grabbed the glass and drank the water. "What happened?"

"You and Ryutaros were attacked by two imagins. They would've killed you if Ruby didn't come in time." Weiss answered.

"I see. Thank you, Ruby."

Ruby scratched her head nervously and said, "No problemo, Kurokuu! Anything to help a friend."

"So, where is the imagins now?" I asked.

Yang was about to answer until I hear Mai and Deneb enter the room. "We have a problem." Mai informed. "Shuichi and Kasumi was attacked. The imagin took Kasumi and ran off to the docks."

I felt my heart drop to the floor the moment I heard that. "He has Kasumi?!"

" **Kurokuu! You're awake!"** Deneb said with a surprised tone in his voice.

They have Kasumi. I have to get out of here! Who knows what they could do to her. "We have to go get her!" I shouted as I attempt to remove the needle of the IV bag out of me.

I felt a strong grip coming from Weiss as she stopped me and said, "Kurokuu, stop! You're not even fully healed yet! You're not ready for another fight!"

"But… Kasumi…. she's…."

"We'll handle the imagins and get Kasumi. Trust us, please." Weiss pleaded.

When I saw the worried look on her face, I soon felt guilt growing within me. Not wanting to worry her any longer, I stopped my attempt of removing the IV bag and said, "Okay. I trust you."

The worried look on Weiss' face disappears as she lets go of my hand. Ruby looked over to Mai and asked, "Why did that imagin kidnap Kasumi?"

"He's most likely wanting to finish his contract. Shuichi told me that the Akagi guy was the contractor and he was possessed."

"That damn guy again? He just doesn't know when to quit." Yang hissed as she curled homer hands into a fist.

"That's not all. He's also using Kasumi to lure Kurokuu out to finish the job."

" **Well, it's apparent that Kurokuu is in no condition to fight."** Deneb reminded.

"Right. Which means that we'll have to fight them off without having Shuichi use up a card." Blake said.

"Where is he now?" Weiss asked.

"He's making his way towards the docks right now." Mai replied. "And we have to get going now. We can't let Shuichi use his last card." Team RWBY all nodded their heads as they get ready alongside Mai.

As they were doing so, Deneb looked at me and said **, "I would just like to say thank for everything you've done for Shuichi. I know seems distant to you. But deep down, he's very grateful."**

I smiled at Deneb and replied, "You don't have to thank me. It's the least I could do to make up for what I've done."

Deneb bows his head down before pulling out a basket with candies inside. " **Here. It's a token of our gratitude."**

I accepted his gift and said, "Thank you." Deneb bowed in response. As Deneb turned his back against me, I felt the urge to ask him this question that I've thought about recently. "Deneb, may I ask you something?"

Deneb faced me once more and replied **, "Of course, what is it that you would like to know?"**

"It's about Shuichi. He said that he was given a limited amount of cards from Nakamura. Why?"

Deneb's face displayed nervousness and worry as he replied **, "Well, that's not for me to tell, but I can tell you one thing. Every time he uses up a card, he loses something important."**

"Important?" I asked. He loses something important in the process? But what could he be losing that is so important?

"Deneb, ready?" Mai asked.

" **Hai! Get well soon, Kurokuu"** Deneb said before walking back to Mai and Team RWBY.

Once everyone was packed up and ready, they all rushed out of the room. Weiss was the last person as she looked back at me and said, "Kurokuu, stay safe."

"I should be saying that to you. Don't get hurt, okay?" I said worryingly.

Weiss looks out the door for a brief moment before she rushes towards me and kisses me on the forehead. "I'll be fine. Besides, I'm more experienced than you in fighting."

I rolled my eyes at her statement as she rushes out the door; leaving me here by myself. "Yeah. Right."

* * *

 _Shuichi was running towards the docks without no signs of stopping. Sweat poured down his face as he maneuvered through the crowd in the streets. He turns right through an alleyway so he wouldn't have to deal with the people in the way._

 _He exited the alleyway and turned right. Up ahead, he could see the roofs of the warehouses five blocks down. But Shuichi kept on going and ran faster and faster._

 _Then, Shuichi ran five blocks down until he stopped himself. He looks to his right and sees the entrance of the docks, which also shows the stacked cargo and the rows of warehouses. Shuichi inhaled deeply as he wiped the sweat of his face._

 _He pulls out his scroll and calls Mai. The dial tone rung for a moment until Mai picked up. "Shuichi, have you arrived at the docks?" Mai asked._

" _Yeah, I'm going in." Shuichi said as he pulled out his sword._

" _Negative. Don't engage. The imagin you encountered is one of two. For now, scout the area to find where they kept Kasumi."_

 _Shuichi sighed and replied, "Got it. Scouting the area now." He ended the call as he opened the gates and entered inside._

 _Shuichi walked around cautiously as he looked around for any signs of Kasumi or the twin anthopper imagins. He walked up to the window of the first warehouse and checked inside. Looking rather vacant, Shuichi disregards the warehouse and searches for another one._

 _He walked over to the second warehouse, where he was greeted by a loud banging noise. Shuichi pulls out his sword and switches it into its crossbow form and goes to a nearby window._

 _He looks inside and sees the possessed Akagi in the second floor office, standing standing quietly with a crowbar in hand. Unfortunately, Shuichi couldn't see where Kasumi is. He was about to make his move until the sound of running footsteps caught his attention._

 _Shuichi rolls away as the maniacal anthopper imagin hits the window. He gets back up as the maniacal anthopper imagin jumped around and said_ _ **, "FOUND YOU!"**_

* * *

 _Meanwhile, Kasumi is seen tied up in a chair as she actively struggles to break free, but to no avail. The possessed Akagi stood silently as he heard his maniacal brother howling loudly while attacking someone. Akagi smirked and said_ _ **, "The Den-O is here. Be a good girl and stay here."**_

 _Then, the possessed Akagi exits the warehouse, leaving Kasumi by herself. Kasumi sat there quietly, afraid about what is going on at this moment. She looked frantically around for something to cut the ropes with until she looked up and saw the ceiling. The ceiling had holes and cracks, which reminded her of something. Kasumi looked like she was in a trance like state as she imagined the holes and cracks in the ceiling to be stars._

 _Kasumi slowly started smiling, losing all the fear she had before. Then slowly, moments slowly started to resurface. A memory of someone. They were both stargazing together. Although Kasumi couldn't see who he was, he felt familiar to her. He made her feel reassured. He made her feel true bliss._

* * *

 _Shuichi blocked the maniacal anthopper imagin's attack and pushed his weapon away before slashing the imagin in the chest. As the imagin stumbled backwards, Shuichi switched his weapon into its crossbow form. He pointed his crossbow at the imagin until the sound of the warehouse door being opened caught his attention._

 _Shuichi turned around and saw the possessed Akagi at the entrance of the warehouse. He twirls the crowbar around and asks_ _ **, "You again? Didn't I ask you to bring the Den-O?**_

" _I've decided that it's better if I just kill you now." Shuichi said as he loaded an arrow on the crossbow._

 _The possessed Akagi waved his finger around and said_ _ **, "Tsk, tsk, tsk. I don't think that's such a good idea. Especially when I'm still in my host's body. And as a huntsman, killing an innocent civilian is a very bad thing, isn't it?"**_ _Although Shuichi's face remained stoic, his body is trembling with anger. Shuichi took a deep breath and lowered his crossbow. The possessed Akagi smirked and said_ _ **, "Good. You made the right decision. Now, hold still so I can beat you to a pulp."**_

 _The possessed Akagi rushed in and whacked Shuichi across the face, causing him to stumble around. However, Shuichi quickly recovered and dodged the next attack. As Shuichi dodges the possessed Akagi's attack, the maniacal anthopper imagin watches from the sidelines and shouts_ _ **, "YEAH! MAKE HIM DANCE AROUND, BROTHER! HAHAHAHAHA!"**_

 _Shuichi hissed loudly as he dodged another diagonal strike. As the possessed Akagi went in for another diagonal strike, Shuichi blocked the attack and locked Akagi's arm to disarm him. With the crowbar out of Akagi's hand, Shuichi proceeded to go on the offense. Shuichi kneed the possessed Akagi in the stomach before he punching him in the face. The possessed Akagi stumbled back as Shuichi kicked him in the stomach, knocking him into the warehouse wall._

 _Shuichi went in for a straight punch, but the possessed Akagi ducked at the last moment and tackled Shuichi down. From there, the possessed Akagi began punching Shuichi in the face left and right; and all Shuichi could do was block the punches._

 _But suddenly, gun fire was being hailed towards Shuichi's and Akagi's direction as Akagi got off of Shuichi and ran for cover. Shuichi quickly got back up and heard a familiar voice that cried out_ _ **, "SHUICHI!"**_ _He turned towards the entrance and saw Deneb, Mai, and Team RWBY. Deneb was the first to make it to Shuichi as he asked_ _ **, "Shuichi, are you alright?"**_

" _I'm fine, big guy. Just try not to shoot me next time." Shuichi said as he dusted himself off._

" _ **I apologize for my behavior."**_ _Deneb apologized as he bowed his head down._

 _Soon, Mai and Team RWBY caught up with Deneb as Mai asked, "Shuichi, where's Kasumi?"_

" _She's somewhere in that warehouse." Shuichi informed._

" _Shuichi, you need to get her out of here. We'll take care of them."_

 _Shuichi looked at both Team RWBY and Deneb, their faces filled with determination. He looked back at Mai and nodded in confirmation before he rushed into the warehouse._

 _Team RWBY, Mai, and Deneb reloaded their weapons as the possessed Akagi and the maniacal anthopper imagin came out of their cover. The main anthopper imagin jumped out of Akagi's body and said_ _ **, "Great, I have to deal with these kids and an imagin now."**_

* * *

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Man, how long has it been since they've left? Thirty minutes? An hour? I leaned over towards the counter on my right and grabbed the K-Taros Flip Scroll to check the time. The time displayed is 4:38 in the afternoon. I sighed loudly and placed my phone back on the counter. Really? It's only been twenty minutes since they left!

I lay there restless, unable to close my eyes because of the many thoughts in my head. They're gonna be okay, right? What are you saying? They're probably gonna be fine. Besides they're a lot stronger than I am. But, I just can't help but feel useless; being stuck here while the two imagins are still out there.

I look around the room once more to see if any nurses are still around. Fortunately, there wasn't anyone around so I attempted to sit back up and get out of here. But like before, the pain in my back and everywhere else stopped me from doing so. "Damn…" I muttered silently as I lay back down in bed.

As I lay silently in bed, I saw sand come off of me as Momotaros, Urataros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros all appear before me. " **Yo, Kurokuu! DId you miss us?"** Momotaros said as he loitered against the wall.

"Guys, what're you doing here?" I asked.

" **Well, is there something wrong with visiting you?"** Urataros asked as he sat on the counter.

"Not at all. I was just wondering is all."

Kintaros sat on the edge of my bed as he placed his hand on my shoulder and asked **, "Kurokuu-dono, how are you feeling?"**

"A little bit better than before." I replied. I looked over to Ryutaros and noticed that he is already healed. "Ryutaros, I'm so glad that you're okay."

Ryutaros looks at me for a brief moment before breaking eye contact. Momotaros looks at me with a shocked expression and said **, "Seriously?! You're worrying more about this little brat?!"**

Urataros rushed towards Momotaros and massaged his shoulders. " **Senpai, let's just calm dow-"**

Momotaros quickly shoves Urataros away and says **, "Can it! It's this little brat's fault for being an idiot and letting Kurokuu get hurt!"** Then, a small dispute erupted between Momotaros and Urataros which led to a small fight. While that was going on, the loud snores of Kintaros filled the room.

I soon felt the stress slowly building up within me as I sat straight up and shouted, "EVERYONE! STOP!" Kintaros fell off the bed while Momotaros and Urataros stopped choking each other. As they all stared back at me, I felt the sharp pain kick back in, causing me to lay back down. "Momotaros, I understand how you feel about this whole situation. It is Ryutaros' fault for being stubborn. But, it's also my fault for rushing in without thinking."

I looked over to Ryutaros once more, his face filled with guilt. I smiled at him and said, "Ryutaros, don't be sad. It's weird to see you like that. Instead of being sad, we should learn from our mistakes and become stronger."

Ryutaros finally made eye contact with me and asked **, "You're really not mad at me?"**

"Not at all. I can never stay mad at you."

Finally, a smile slowly crept up on Ryutaros' face as he cheered **, "YAY! HE'S NOT MAD AT ME."** He soon began acting like his normal self as he skips around the room and messes around with Momotaros, to his dismay.

Urataros leaned against my bed and said **, "Well, looks like he's back to normal. He's been like that the entire time on the Den-Liner."**

"Really?" I asked as I watched Ryutaros slapping Momotaros around. I laughed softly and said, "I can't imagine Ryutaros being like that." While that was going on, I heard my scroll rumbling against the counter. I reached over to my scroll and saw an alert notification. I tapped on the alert and it showed that Mai's aura was dropping into the yellow range.

Kintaros and Urataros looked at the scroll with me as Kintaros said **, "Oh no. Mai and the others are in trouble."**

" **What should we do? Kurokuu is not in any condition to fight."** Urataros reminded. Even though Urataros is right, I can't sit around anymore. I have to help them! I slowly sat back up and yanked the needle of the IV bag out of me. This caused Urataros, Kintaros, and Momotaros to look at me in shock. Urataros stopped me from going any further as he said **, "Kurokuu, what're you doing?! Didn't you hear what I just said?"**

"Yes, I heard. But if putting myself on the line means saving Mai and the others, then I'll gladly do it. Besides, that's what a huntsman is all about. Putting others before yourself." I responded. They all looked at me with a worried expression on their face as Urataros slowly lets go of me.

I slowly moved my feet out of the sheets and attempted to stand on my two legs. But my legs were still too weak to walk, let alone fight. I looked around for some kind of support to use until I saw the IV stand. I held onto it tightly as I said, "Well, at least I'm making quick progress."

" **Kurokuu, are you sure that this is a wise decision?"** Kintaros asked worryingly.

I looked at Kintaros and replied, "It's fine. I'll manage." Then, I slowly glanced over to Ryutaros. "Actually, I think I have an idea." I slowly made my way to Ryutaros and asked, "Ryutaros, you wanna go against those two imagins again?"

Everyone in the room looked shocked as Momotaros shouted **, "Seriously?!"**

" **Are… are you sure?"** Ryutaros asked cautiously.

I shook my head yes and replied, "I'm absolutely sure. Besides, we have a score to settle with."

Ryutaros looked at his hands before clenching it into a fist tightly. " **Alright! Let's do it!"** Ryutaros said as he jumped into my body. Our aura blended with each other as I felt it slowly heal my body. Ryutaros tossed the IV stand aside and did a quick twirl. " **Those green meanies are gonna get it!"** Ryutaros declared as he puts on the brown and purple dyed hat.

* * *

 _The main anthopper imagin hopped around Ruby as she swings her weapon wildly, trying to land a hit on him. As Ruby goes in for a horizontal strike, the anthopper imagin jumps up and lands on Crescent Rose. He kicks Ruby in the face, which led to Weiss and Mai firing their arrows and fireballs at him._

 _As the main anthopper imagin hops off of Ruby's scythe, Ruby, Weiss, and Mai quickly surrounds the anthopper imagin. No one made any sudden movements as they were trying to read each other's movements. The main anthopper imagin looked at Weiss and Mai before he shifted his attention towards Ruby. He was smirking menacingly before jumping up high into the air. However, Ruby quickly reacted and fired at the imagin, but the bullets barely grazed him. As the main anthopper imagin got closer, Ruby rolled out of the way._

 _Once the imagin landed back down, Ruby, Weiss, and Mai all pointed their weapons at him and fired simultaneously. But at the last moment, the anthopper imagin jumps back up in the air, causing all of the projectiles and gunfire to hit each other. The main anthopper imagin landed right behind Ruby and whacked her in the head before tossing his shovel, tomahawk style, at Weiss. However, Weiss managed to recover and dodge the attack. Weiss quickly got back up and summoned a glyph underneath her feet._

 _With it, Weiss rushes forward at high speed and goes in for a thrust attack. But, the anthopper imagin simply moves out of the way and catches the blade. Weiss panics as she attempts to pull her weapon out of the imagin's grasps, but his grip was too strong as he pulls Weiss towards him and kicks her in the face. Weiss promptly lets go of Myrtenaster, now in the hands of the anthopper imagin._

 _He admires Myrtenaster for a moment until the sounds of Mai's footsteps caught his attention. The anthopper imagin quickly turns around and blocks Mai's attack before pushing her bow out of the way and slashing her on the chest._

" _STOP! MOVING! AROUND!" Yang shouted angrily as she fired at the maniacal anthopper imagin. However, he just laughs at her as he jumps around and dodges all the pellets. As Deneb and Blake rushed towards Yang for support, the maniacal imagin ran towards them, which caused Yang to stop firing her weapon._

 _This brief period of ceasefire gave the maniacal imagin enough time to execute his next attack. He locked his eyes onto Blake and dashed towards her at lighting fast speed. Blake quickly reacted and summoned a shadow clone. But instead of attacking, the maniacal anthopper imagin uses shadow clone and kicks off of it to launch himself towards Deneb. From there, he slashed Deneb mid-flight before he landed back down and attacked again._

 _Deneb stumbled forward, but he quickly recovered and fired back at the maniacal anthopper imagin. But, the imagin saw this coming and used his axe to block and deflect the bullets. Although Deneb wasn't causing any damage, he did pin down the imagin, allowing Blake and Yang to make their move._

 _Blake and Yang looked at each other before initiating their plan of attack. Blake turned Gambol Shroud into its' pistol configuration and held onto one end of the ribbon before she tossed the pistol to Yang. Yang caught the pistol and and held onto it tightly as she began to run around Blake, building up some momentum. Blake followed her movement and spun around with Yang as Yang used Ember Celica to launch herself off the ground. From there, Blake twirled Yang around, initiating attack strategy Bumblebee._

 _Once Yang and Blake were ready, Deneb immediately rolled away for them to attack. Yang's anticipation grew as her hair started to emit flames. She clenched her hand into a fist and was ready to strike; that is until a certain other imagin got in the way._

 _The shovel of the main anthopper imagin flew in from out of nowhere and severed the ribbon between Blake and Yang, causing Yang to crash into one of the empty warehouse buildings. "Yang!" Blake shouted worryingly._

 _Blake was about to get up until the maniacal anthopper imagin rushed towards and attacked her with his axe, but Blake managed to escape with the help of her shadow clone._

" _ **Blake, hold on!"**_ _Deneb shouted as he rushed to her aid._

 _But then, the main anthopper imagin landed in front of him and said_ _ **, "I don't think so."**_ _Then, he drop kicked Deneb to the ground._

* * *

 _Shuichi enters the second warehouse where the main anthopper imagin was in as he looks around for any signs of Kasumi. He looks past all of the shipments and crates as he sees Kasumi sitting in a chair tied up. Shuichi quickly makes haste to get to the office building, jumping over the crates and tables. He rushes up the stairs until he met up with the door. Shuichi tried opening the doorknob, but it was locked._

 _Frustratingly, he began trying to bust the door open. He rammed his shoulder against it a couple times before moving back and kicking it down. "Kasumi!" Shuichi called out as he entered the room._

 _Shuichi slows down to a halt as he stared at Kasumi. She pulls her eyes away from the ceiling and looks at Shuichi. "Oh, Shuichi? Have you come to pick me up once more?" Kasumi asked with a blissful look on her face._

" _Kasumi, are you… okay? Are you hurt?" Shuichi asked worryingly._

 _Kasumi shook her head no and said, "I'm quite fine. Akagi didn't hurt me." She looked back up at the ceiling as she continued, "The patterns on the ceiling. Don't they look like stars to you?" Shuichi looked down and replied back with silence. "When I look at it, it reminds me of what I've forgotten earlier."_

 _Shuichi looks back up, eyes widen with surprise, as Kasumi continues, "I wanted to protect this shop because it's so very important to us. To Kurokuu. To me. And… someone. Someone I think I know. That is close to my heart."_

 _Kasumi then focuses her attention back into Shuichi as she slowly takes a step towards him. Shuichi didn't know what to make of this. For once, in a very long time ever since he took the mantle of Kamen Rider Zeronos, someone actually remembers him. But, this makes it all the more painful as he knows for a fact that this wouldn't last for long._

 _Strange for someone like Shuichi to feel this way about Kasumi. He swore that he preferred being alone so that he wouldn't let anyone get in his way. But in fact, he does miss the feeling of having someone close to him. Shuichi misses his team, Qrow, Taiyang, and most of all, Summer._

 _Although Kasumi couldn't remember who the person she loves looks like, she can feel this similar presence in Shuichi. As she walks closer and closer to him, more of her memories are slowly coming back to her. The time when they went stargazing. The time when they were celebrating Christmas. And the time when he proposed to her. Those were truly her happiest moments._

 _Soon, Kasumi arrives face to face with Shuichi as they stared into each other's eyes. Shuichi's eyes were tense and stoic while Kasumi's eyes were soft and comforting. A small smile crept up onto Kasumi's face as she slowly raises her hand to Shuichi's face._

 _Shuichi wanted to step away, but he couldn't. He can't bring himself to do that. He wanted to savor this moment one last time before doing something he will soon regret. Kasumi then made contact with Shuichi's face, touching his soft, cold face. Shuichi inhaled deeply at Kasumi's contact as her hand warms his heart._

 _Suddenly, their interaction was cut short as the sound of Yang crashing into a warehouse caught Shuichi's attention. Shuichi grabs Kasumi's hand and removes it from his face as he says, "Kasumi, I have to go help the others. Stay here to be safe." And with that, he quickly rushes out of the room, leaving Kasumi all alone once again._

* * *

'Hurry, Ryutaros! We have to get there quick!' I shouted to Ryutaros as he rode on the Den-Bird. He nodded his head in response and revved the bike. The Den-Bird then started to pick up some speed as we dashed through the streets, ignoring all of the lights and cars in the way. We looked around for a shortcut and saw a freeway bridge above us that led us directly to Downtown Vale, where the warehouse docks are. 'Up there!' I alerted Ryutaros.

" **Alright, let's go!"** Ryutaros shouted as he revved his bike even more. We traveled at a eighty eight miles per hour, zooming past all of the cars and trucks. In the sea of vehicles, there was a large peterbilt truck that had a ramp made up of pipes driving just ahead of us.

Thinking of the same idea, Ryutaros moved to the same lane that the peterbilt truck was on and caught up with it. Once we were close enough, Ryutaros leaned forward against the handlebars of the Den-Bird while releasing all of the gas at once. From there, we drove onto the pipe ramp and flew up high into the sky. The air rushed towards us as we managed to fly over the freeway bridge wall and land safely on the ground.

Once we landed safely on the ground, we continued down the freeway until we reached Downtown Vale. From there, we knew where the docks was and proceeded to make our way there. But once we arrived, we saw Yang being sent flying towards one of the warehouses. Worried, we hopped off of the Den-Bird and proceeded to run to the entrance on foot. When we reached the gate, I saw chaos in front of me as Team RWBY, Mai, and Deneb were bested by the twin anthopper imagins.

Weiss was the first to notice our sudden arrival as she said worryingly, "Kurokuu, Ryutaros? What're you doing here?!"

Soon everyone else picked up on our arrival, including the anthopper imagins. " **The Den-O? You're still alive? No matter. I'll just finish up the job."** The main anthopper imagin said as he focused his sight on us.

" **PLAYING WITH THE DEN-O AGAIN?! IT'S GONNA BE SO MUCH FUN!"** The manaical anthopper imagin said as he hopped around.

'Ryutaros, let's go.' I said to Ryutaros.

" **Alright! Let's get ready for round two!"** Ryutaros said as he pulled out the Den-O belt.

"Wait!" I hear a familiar voice shout. We all turned around heads and see Shuichi wrapping the Zeronos belt around his waist. Oh no, he's not gonna use his last card is he?!

'NO, SHUICHI! DON'T USE UP THE LAST CARD!' I shouted. But all was null and void as no one could hear me except Ryutaros.

Luckily, Deneb voiced my thoughts as he pleaded while struggling to get back on his feet **, "Shuichi… please don't use your last card. Save… it."**

Shuichi pulls out the last Zeronos card from the card holder as he said, "Deneb, you idiot. These cards are not mementos. If they're not being used, then they're worthless to me. Besides, I'll do whatever it takes to save anyone I can." He slides the top switch and shouts, "HENSHIN." Shuichi slides his last card into the belt as it called out one last time.

 **ALTAIR FORM**

His armor suit materialized as the green armor pieces combine with it. Then, the green faceplate appeared and attaches with the helmet, completing the transformation. He raises his arm in the air as lightning strikes down from the sky, pushing both of the imagins back. He lets his arm drop back down as he said, "Let me say this from the start, I am fairly strong!"

The main anthopper imagin groaned as he got back up and said **, "You're fairly strong? Guess again!"** He and the maniacal anthopper imagin charged straight towards Shuichi.

As Shuichi holds his own against the twin anthopper imagins, Ryutaros rushes towards Team RWBY, Mai, and Deneb. "Ryutaros? Kurokuu? What're you doing here?! You're still in no condition to fight!" Weiss shouted with a hint of worry in her voice.

Ryutaros smiles at her and replied **, "Don't worry Weiss-chan! We're fine now! Now, hurry and get Onee-chan out of here!"**

Weiss was about to protest until Mai limped towards her and said, "He's right. Let them handle the imagins. We're too weak to help them at the moment." Weiss took a moment to think before nodding yes in response. "Good. Deneb, Blake, find and help Yang. Weiss, Ruby, you're with me." They all followed Mai's instructions and left the fight.

Ryutaros then shifts his attention back onto Shuichi and the twin anthopper imagins as he wraps the Den-O belt around his waist. He clicks the purple button on the belt, causing it to play a hip hop tune. Ryutaros lifts his pass up and shouts **, "Henshin!"**

 **GUN FORM**

The armor suit materialized as the purple pieces of armor appear and combine with it. Then, the purple faceplate appears and attaches to the helmet, completing the transformation. Ryutaros quickly creates his gun and fires it while running at them. The bullets hit both of the imagins, causing them to turn around. " **Mind if I beat you guys? I can't hear you!"** Ryutaros shouted as he fired at them again.

The twin anthopper imagins dodged out of the way of the gun fire while Shuichi blocked it with his sword. "Hey! Watch where you're aiming!" Shuichi shouted in anger.

Ryutaros caught up with Shuichi and said **, "Whatever. Like I care about what happens to you. But since you helped Onee-chan out, I'll won't be so mean today."**

"Wow, well if it isn't my lucky day then." Shuichi said sarcastically.

Then, the twin anthopper imagins regrouped with each other as the main anthopper imagin shouts **, "Den-O and Zeronos. Oh how I will enjoy making you both bleed."** He points his weapon at Zeronos before charging straight at him. The main anthopper imagin goes in with an overhead strike, but Shuichi quickly blocks it. Shuichi redirects the weapon away from him before pulling him away from us.

" **HAHAHAHAHA!"** The sound of maniacal laughing came from the sky as we looked up and saw the maniacal anthopper imagin attacking from above.

Ryutaros quickly rolls out of the way and sweep kicks the imagin, causing him to stumble and fall. Ryutaros gets back up and points his gun at the maniacal imagin, but he quickly whacks the gun away with his weapon and kicks Ryutaros back. He quickly got back up and slashed Ryutaros across the chest before whacking him in the face.

Ryutaros stumbled around for a bit, but he quickly turns back around and dodges the next incoming attack. From there, the maniacal imagin was just swinging his weapon around with no precision, allowing Ryutaros to dodge and weave around it with ease. As the maniacal imagin goes in for a horizontal strike, Ryutaros arches his back to dodge it and fires point blank at his stomach.

This knocks the imagin back as Ryutaros gets back up and kicks the weapon out of his hand, disarming him. Then, Ryutaros back kicks them imagin and fires at him, but the maniacal anthopper imagin quickly rolls out of the way and starts running around him at high speed. Ryutaros couldn't get a clear shot, which frustrates him. " **Grrrr… STOP MOVING!"** Ryutaros shouted angrily.

'Ryutaros, calm down. We can take him out some other way.' I said calmly, trying to ease Ryutaros from his anger.

Ryutaros slowly calms down as he asks **, "Well, how do we attack him? We can't see where he is."**

I looked at the blur running around us for a moment before looking up. Above us, there was a crane holding a cargo, which gave me an idea in mind. 'Ryutaros, shoot that crane holding the cargo!' I shouted.

Ryutaros quickly reacted and fired his gun at the crane holding the cargo. The cargo plummets towards the ground, causing dust to fly everywhere. But that didn't bother us as we hear the sound of the maniacal imagin slamming his face into the cargo. The dust quickly cleared up as we saw the maniacal imagin moving around clumsily while grasping his head in pain. " **Yay! Found you!"** Ryutaros shouted as he fired round after round into the imagin's chest.

'Great job, Ryutaros! Let's finish him!' I cheered out loud.

Ryutaros was about to reach for the pass until I hear Momotaros say **, 'Oi, oi, oi, I didn't even get to go today! Let me at least do the finisher!'**

" **Shut up, stupid Momotaros! I'm finishing him off!"** Ryutaros insisted as he grabbed the pass.

' **Senpai, just let him do it, today.'** Urataros said.

' **Yeah, Momoji. You can do it another time.'** Kintaros agreed.

I sighed stressfully and said, 'You know what. How about we all finish him off? That way Momotaros won't get his feelings hurt.'

' **Yeah, yeah! I'm on board with that idea!'** Momotaros agreed.

" **Okay, but we still haven't learned how to use that weird form.'** Urataros informed. " **It happened so fast the first time, I didn't catch how we did it.'**

'You're right about that. But, maybe if we work together as a team, as one, we could use that form.' I encouraged everyone.

Momotaros cheered and said **, 'Alright, I'm really fired up now! Let's do this!'**

' **Although it's a bit weird to be squished together with you guys, I guess I'm on board with it.'** Urataros reluctantly agreed.

Kintaros cracked his neck and said **, 'Let's show that imagin why he should fear out strength!'**

'Ryutaros, are you on board with this?' I asked him.

Ryutaros sighed loudly as he puts away the pass and pulls out the K-Taros Flip Scroll. " **Well, it looks like it can't be helped."** He opens the K-Taros up and pressed the four bottom buttons before pressing the call button.

 **MOMO URA KIN RYU**

Ryutaros presses the silver button on the side as it called out.

 **CLIMAX FORM**

The purple armor pieces dematerialized as it was replaced with the Climax Form's armor pieces. While that was happening, I snap the K-Taros Scroll onto the front of the belt. Then, the purple faceplate detaches from the helmet as the other faceplates appear and attach to their designated spot. The Axe Form faceplate on the left shoulder, the Rod Form faceplate on the right shoulder, the Gun Form faceplate on the chest, and the Sword Form faceplate on the helmet. Then, his forehead glowed blue, yellow, and purple as the Sword Form faceplate split open, completing the transformation.

Momotaros took control as he did his signature pose and said **, "Ore sanjou!"**

The maniacal imagin got back up on his feet as he comically wiped his eyes and shouted **, "OH OUM, WHAT IS THAT?!"**

Momotaros quickly formed his sword and replied **, "Your worst nightmare! IKUZE! IKUZE! IKUZE!"** Momotaros charged straight in and slashed the imagin relentlessly before doing a vertical strike down the chest. As the maniacal imagin stumbled back, Kintaros briefly took over as he held his sword, zatoichi style, and punched the imagin in the chest again and again before doing an open palm strike. Then, Urataros took the helm as he used the sword like a rapier and thrusts the sword into his chest. Then, Ryutaros took over as he yanked the sword out and kicked the imagin in the face, knocking him back far away.

Lastly, I took over for a bit as I see the maniacal imagin getting back up and charging straight at me. Time seemed to slow down as I see the maniacal imagin holding his weapon so he could go in for a horizontal strike. I pulled out the pass and placed it in front of the belt as it called out.

 **CHARGE AND UP**

Lasers entered into the hilt of the sword as the blade glowed into a spectrum of colors. I held the sword with both hands and charged straight at the imagin. As we both got closer and closer to each other, I fell onto my knees and slid across the ground. I could see the fearful expression on the maniacal imagin's face as I slashed his torso. I soon slowed down to a halt as I heard the sound of crackling electricity, followed by an explosion.

I stood by up on my feet and stared at the remnants of the explosion. "One down. Now to go help Shuichi." I said to myself as I rushed to Shuichi's aid.

* * *

 _The blade of their weapons clashed with one another as Shuichi overpowers the anthopper imagin. Shuichi slashes the imagin across the chest before grabbing his shoulder and headbutting him, causing him to stubble back. However, the anthopper imagin quickly recovers and parries the next incoming attack from Shuichi. They both backed away from each other as they try to anticipate their next move._

 _Shuichi quickly switches his sword in his gun configuration and runs forward while facing the anthopper imagin. The imagin did the same as they jumped over the tables and crates in front of them. Shuichi was the first to make his move as he fired a series of energy blasts at the anthopper imagin, but he quickly rolls out of the way before jumping straight for Shuichi. Shuichi quickly reacted by firing at him once more, but the imagin maneuvers away to the left mid-flight._

 _The anthopper imagin lands back onto the ground and attempts to slash Shuichi on the side, but Shuichi kicks the shovel away and shoots the imagin in the knee. The anthopper imagin shouted in pain as he fell onto his knees, allowing Shuichi to rush in and knee him in the face. The imagin stumbled back up onto his feet as Shuichi fired his weapon at him. But on instinct, the anthopper imagin used his shovel to block the attack. However, the blast knocked him back and broke the shovel, leaving him completely defenseless. As the anthopper imagin slowly got back up on his feet, Shuichi press the button on top of the belt._

 _ **FULL CHARGE**_

 _The card glowed green as Shuichi pulls it out of his belt and inserts it into the crossbow. Laser emitted from the stock of the crossbow to the tip as the energy was slowly building up. He points his crossbow at the wounded imagin and fired. The large, green energy blast pierced through the imagin, creating an A mark on his body before exploding._

* * *

I dashed into the warehouse and saw Shuichi standing behind the burning remnants of the other anthopper imagin. It looks like Shuichi managed to destroy him on his own, but at the cost of his last card and something "important" to him. I could see Shuichi hesitate as he slowly reaches for the card in his belt and removed it. The card slowly disintegrates into nothingness before Shuichi disconnects the belt, causing the Zeronos armor to dematerialize.

I did the same as I disconnect the belt, causing the armor to dematerialize. But in my weakened state, I fell on my knees, gasping for air. It looks like that fight got a lot out of me, but I think I can still stand up. I stood back up on my feet and saw the stoic expression on Shuichi's face. I slowly walked up to him and said, "Shuichi… I... I'm so-"

"Save it. It's not your fault. I chose to use the last card. Besides, if I wasn't here to fight the other imagin, the result would've been the same as before for you again." Shuichi interrupted.

I felt slightly offended by his comment as I said, "Hey! The Taros and I could've handled him!"

But Shuichi just rolled his eyes at me as he walked over to me and put my arm around his shoulders. "Come on, everyone's probably waiting outside." Shuichi said as he helped me out of the warehouse.

Outside, We saw Team RWBY, Mai, and Deneb waiting for us. But then, they slowly moved aside so they could make way for Kasumi to walk through. I felt relief and happiness run through my spine as I stumbled towards Kasumi and gave her a big hug. "Sis, you're okay." I said softly.

She stroked my hair softly and said, "Of course big sis is fine. I'll never leave you. But what happened to you?"

I laughed a little and said, "I got a little hurt today. But it doesn't matter, you're safe."

Kasumi nodded her head no as she gestured to Weiss and said, "It does matter to some."

I looked over to Weiss, her face blushing with anger and frustration, as she stomped towards me. She stared at me and said in an angry tone, "You still should've just stayed in bed."

I sighed softly and placed my hands in her shoulders. "You know I can't do that." I replied.

"Why?! We would've handled it! In the state you were in, you could've been a liability and get hurt even more!"

"Why?" I pulled Weiss towards me. "Because someone's gotta worry about you too when you get hurt."

I could see the angry expression fade away from Weiss' face, replacing it with surprised expression instead. Eventually, Weiss slowly embrace me back and said, "Kurokuu… you big softie."

I smiled at her comment as I heard Ruby and Kasumi say in unison, "Awwwww!"

Yang looked around the docks for something, or someone, as she points over to the cargo and shouts, "Look over there!" We looked in her direction as we see Akagi laying on the ground, still unconscious. She cracked her knuckles and declared, "He had one last chance. Now, it's time for him to meet my fists."

"Yang, no!" I hear Ruby shout as she, the rest of Team RWBY, and Mai all go after her.

I looked back at Kasumi and asked, "Hey sis, are you sure you're going to be alright? After what happened, I kinda want you to be safe with Grandma and Grandpa."

"I'll be fine, Kurokuu. Stop worrying so much about big sis, okay?" Kasumi replied while holding my hands. "Besides, someone needs to watch the shop anyway. I'm not letting it close down like before, remember?"

"Right. I'll try to stop worrying." When I looked at Team RWBY and Mai huddling around Akagi, I realized that Shuichi and Deneb wasn't with them. I looked around for a brief moment and saw them walking out the dock entrance. I was just about to let them go until I remembered what Deneb said about Shuichi's card. The card. What is Shuichi losing by using up the last card? That question was burning in my mind ever since Deneb mentioned. Maybe I should ask him about it. Kasumi notices who I was looking at as I said to her, "I think I have to go."

"I understand, go. I'll just walk back home." Kasumi replied as she hugged me one last time.

I smiled at Kasumi back before facing the other way and running after them. "Guys, wait!" I shouted, trying to get their attention. They both turned towards me as I asked them, "Where are you going?"

"Back on the Zero-Liner for a bit. I need a break after this long day." Shuichi replied. "Deneb, let's go."

" **Right."** Deneb said as he followed Shuichi.

"Wait." I said once more. They both looked at me attentively as I asked Shuichi, "If I may ask, what do you lose that is so important every time you use the Zeronos card?"

Shuichi looked rather taken back by the question as he looked at Deneb, who was making no eye contact with him. He sighed softly and asked, "Well, why do you want to know? It doesn't matter now since I have no cards left."

"Well, if you don't have any cards anymore, then why bother keeping it a secret?" I asked back.

He stared cautiously at me for a bit longer before finally replying, "Fine. I guess you're right about that." He pulls out the card holder of the Zeronos belt. "As you noticed before, every time I transform, the card disappears. It disappears because it uses something very fragile. And what that is is memories."

I felt shocked at the response as that answer led to another question. "Memories? Memories of you?"

"No. It uses the memories of my future self, Nakamura." Soon, I felt my heart drop to the floor. Nakamura? He's been using Nakamura's memories? But then that would mean… Kasumi. She doesn't remember anything about Nakamura because of Shuichi.

"No. That can't be true." I muttered.

"You sure about that? You can go check on Akagi if you want. He won't have any memories of Nakamura either."

I looked over to where Team RWBY and Mai are and rushed towards them as fast as I could. I could see Yang grabbing Akagi by the collar as Team RWB(Y) and Mai try to hold her back. "What do you mean you don't remember why you kidnapped Kasumi?!" Yang shouted.

"Remember what? What am I supposed to remember?" Akagi asked fearfully.

I got in between Yang and Akagi as I turned to him and asked, "Akagi, do you remember anyone named Shuichi Nakamura?"

He looked fearfully at me, afraid that I would act like Yang, and replied, "No! I don't know who this Nakamura guy is! Just please let me go!"

We all stared at him in shock as I back away from him. He quickly got back up on his feet and ran away from us, leaving us completely befuddled. Mai looked at me and asked, "He lost his memory of Nakamura. Just like-"

"Kasumi." I finished her sentence. I looked back at the entrance and saw that Shuichi and Deneb have already left. My burning question was now answered. But all it do now was create more questions. Why would Nakamura allow Shuichi to let people forget about him by using the Zeronos belt? How am I able to retain my memories of him? And same can be said for Mai too. Just what is even going on anymore?

* * *

(A/N:) So, it looks like Kurokuu and the rest of the gang finally knows one of Shuichi's secrets. In this chapter, I kinda wanted to put more interaction between Shuichi and Kasumi since they never encounter each other as much as they would in the show. And I also thought that Kasumi could help further Shuichi's development as a character by trying to change him back into who he was before Zeronos.

Now before we end this chapter, I want to do something special for next chapter and for Volume 3. As you know, in Volume 3, there is the Vytal Tournament. And as you also know, Team MSKD is an OC team that needs to participate as representatives for Beacon. And since they're fighting in the tournament, they need some competitors to fight them. So here's my solution! From March 5-9, I'll be any OC's for those who want to participate. Now for those who may be wondering why I'm doing this, I'll explain it to you guys! I thought that this could be a fun way to interact with each other as well as for you guys who want to express their creativity. But before we start, I want to set a few rules.

 **How to make an entry:**

1\. State the names of your OC's and what team they're called/from.

2\. Make sure to include what continent they're from. (Mistral, Vacuo, or Atlas)

3\. Explain your OC's personality. (Please no backstory, they're just gonna be fighting)

4\. Describe what they wear and their physical features.

5\. Explain the weapons they use and what semblance they have.

 **Da Rules:**

#1. Team MSKD will be going through three rounds. Team, doubles, and singles. And rule number one is that you are only allowed to make one entry for any one of those rounds. I want everyone to get a chance to be chosen so if I see multiple entries from the same person for all three rounds, I will simply choose only one of the three.

#2. PLEASE! YOU MUST SEND YOUR ENTRY BY PM! IF YOU PUT YOUR OC'S IN THE REVIEW, I WILL SIMPLY DISREGARD IT.

#3. Please don't make op semblances. (Please I would really appreciate it if you guys don't melt my brain from trying to find a way to beat the op characters.)

#4. Your OC's must NOT be Kamen Riders. They can have semblances that are based off of Kamen Riders, but I just don't want people actually becoming them. I want this strictly to be Den-O and just Den-O to keep it simple.

Well, that's it for now. You have until March 5-9 to submit your entry. And out of those entries, I will only choose 3. Have fun! As always, leave a review on what you thought about this chapter and I'll see you guys next time. Bye!


	23. Chapter 23: The Vytal Festival

(A/N): Hey everyone! Now, I know you guys are expecting me to say something along the lines of being sorry for not updating as often, and you're right. I've been slacking off a lot recently. But hopefully, since my school is going on break soon, I should be able to publish more chapters now throughout the summer. Now, as for the little submission event awhile back, I didn't get many people to participate. Then again, that's kinda on me for limiting the people who couldn't make an account. But in the end, I managed to get two submissions. And after some cooperation between them, I decided that I would only to choose one of them since this person has followed most of the guidelines. So, this chapter is dedicated for you and I hope that I have portrayed your oc's well. And with that, let's kick off Volume 3.

I do not own the rights to the series, RWBY or Kamen Rider. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth Production and the Kamen Rider Series is owned by Toei Company and Shotaro Ishinomori. Please support the official shows!

"Normal speech"

'Thoughts/ internal communication between OC and imagins'

 _"Third Person/ Flashback"_

 **"Imagin speech"**

* * *

 _Today is the day. The Vytal Festival has begun. People from Mistral to Atlas are all coming to Vale just for this special event. While many see this event as a day of unity and peace between kingdoms, same cannot be said for Cinder._

 _Cinder, along with Mercury and Emerald, are getting ready to participate in the Vytal Tournament. While Mercury and Emerald are wearing their normal outfits, Cinder is wearing gray pants and boots; a beige leather, sleeveless jacket with light-beige details; brown gloves, a sarashi tied around her chest and another around her hips, a pauldron on her left shoulder, and a belt around her waist that has multiple pouches._

 _Cinder stands in front of the mirror with a smile on her face as Emerald pointed out, "You seem like in a good mood today. May I ask why?"_

" _Why it's the Vytal Festival. It's a beautiful time of the year." Cinder replied as she slowly turns towards Emerald and Mercury. "But, the main reason why I'm in such a 'good mood' is because we can finally set our plans into motion."_

" _Right. The plan." Mercury said nonchalantly. "But in all honesty, I just want to beat the crap these kids. And the best part is, I can get away with it."_

 _Emerald rolled her eyes at his comment and said, "Of course, you would say that. But since we're in the tournament, don't we need one more person to participate?"_

" _Emerald, you have nothing to worry about." Cinder said as she places her hand on Emerald's shoulder. "I already had someone in mind. This person should be here soon." Just as she said that, a knock can be heard coming from the door. "Well, right on time." Cinder slowly approaches towards the door and opens it up._

 _On the other side, there is a girl with a pale complexion, black hair with lighter streaks that is done up in a twin tail hairstyle with white bows, and green eyes. Her outfit consists of a sleeveless black blouse with white frills on the chest and collar and a black ribbon bow hanging from front of the collar. The blouse exposes her midriff, and she wears medium-length black armbands on both of her wrists. Along with the blouse, she wears a knee-length skirt fastened with a white belt. She wears black shoes with a triple tomoe emblem on the soles, with white leg warmers._

 _Emerald and Mercury both stare at the girl as Mercury asked, "Uh… do we know this girl?"_

" _I'll let her explain herself." Cinder said as she lets the girl in._

 _The girl slowly approaches Mercury and places her finger seductively on his chest. They both stared into each other's eyes until the girl's eyes changed from green to pink and brown. This caused Mercury to step away from her._

" _Neo?" Emerald asked Cinder for confirmation._

" _Yes. She's just in a disguise is all. Very convincing, isn't it?" Cinder asked._

" _I guess. Maybe next time, her disguise should help her make her look taller." Mercury said as he measures Neo's height to his. Neo wasn't quite fond of his comment as she elbowed him hard in the stomach, causing him to stumble back a bit. "Alright, I'll stop. Geez."_

" _So, are we all set now?" Emerald asked._

 _Cinder pulls out her scroll and said, "Yes. I believe so." She was about to open her scroll until a hand from behind snatched it away from her. Cinder immediately reacted by summoning her glass blade and attacked whoever was behind her. She felt the blade pierce through flesh as she looked up and saw him. "My King… what're you doing here?" Cinder asked, trying to hide the fear in her voice._

" _Well, I just wanted to check up on Salem's little pupils. Also, I wanted to meet with an old friend of mine." The King replied with a emotionless expression on his face. The King inhaled deeply and asked, "Now, can you please remove your blade out of my hand?" Cinder nodded in response and yanked the blade out of his hand. His face still remains emotionless as he looks back at his hand and sees a piece of glass still stuck within him. Slowly, he pulls the shard out, allowing the blood in his hand to slowly pour down. The piece of glass shined brightly with his blood before he decided to throw it in the trash._

 _Cinder, along with Mercury, Emerald, and Neo, all bowed down at the same time as Cinder said, "I apologize for attacking you, sir."_

" _Please. Save your apology for later." The King said as he grabs Cinder's chin with his bloody hand. He forced her to look up at him face to face as his emotionless face changed to a eerie smile. "Because you better start saying it when the time comes." Cinder then started to shake in fear as he continued, "The only reason why you're still here is because Gaoh sacrificed his life just so your plan can keep going. And I'm only gonna say this once, if your plan fails, your fate will be the same as Gaoh. Got it?" Cinder nodded yes in response. "Good."_

 _Emerald, Mercury, and Neo looked at him nervously as the King turned his attention towards him and asked with the same eerie expression, "What's wrong? Isn't this the face of anger?!"_

" _Yes, my King. That is the face of anger." Emerald replied without making any eye contact._

 _The King's face slowly changed back into his dull expression as he slowly makes his way towards the window. He slowly opens the window opened and leans against the window frame as he said, "Remember. We'll be watching everything you do. Don't disappoint us." And with that, he leans back a little further and falls out of the window, plummeting to his death. Cinder, Emerald, Mercury, and Neo all rushed to the window and looked down, only to see no one there._

 _The room was dead silent as Cinder gripped on tightly to the window frame. Emerald notices this as she asked, "Cinder, are you alright?" Cinder's response was more silence._

* * *

 **Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time**

 **Chapter 23: The Vytal Festival**

* * *

Today is finally the day I've been waiting for since I started Beacon. The Vytal Festival Tournament! I remember how I would watch this event all the time on TV with Kasumi. And now, who would've thought that I would be in it? But man, I haven't felt this nervous since my date with Weiss. After seeing our competition, it makes me worry if I'm ready to take them on.

Fortunately, our round comes right after Team SSSN, so we have a lot of time to prepare. I hear we'll be taking on a team from Mistral? Well, until our time comes, Team RWBY's round is gonna start next. And we, along with Team JNPR, have decided to give them our best of wishes before the round starts.

Our footsteps echoed down the hall as we slowly got closer to the locker rooms. Jaune rubbed the back of his head nervously and said, "I can't believe that today's the tournament. Are you guys a little bit nervous?"

"A little bit." I replied, hiding the nervousness in my tone.

Pyrrha places her hands on Jaune's shoulders as she said, "Jaune, we're all gonna be fine."

"Yeah, as a team, nothing can stand in your way." Mai said as she slapped Jaune in the back.

Jaune inhaled deeply before clenching his hand tight into a fist and said, "Right!"

" **Now, that's the spirit, Jaune-kun!"** Deneb said.

Nora was fired up as well as she said, "Alright! I'm ready to kick butt and break legs!"

Ren tried to calm Nora down by saying, "Nora, let's not try to do that. Kicking butt is fine." But that didn't get through her head as she kept on jumping around enthusiastically.

I looked over to Shuichi as he hadn't said a word since last week, except for the occasional "I'm gonna be gone for a bit" or "I'm gonna go train". Still, after the talk on the Den-Liner, I do worry about him.

* * *

 _October 11, 2017_

"Wait, you knew about this the entire time?" I asked The Owner. After Shuichi revealed his secret, we all decided to head to the Den-Liner to talk with the Owner to try to get some answers out of him.

He sits quietly in his normal, calm demeanor as he said, "Of course. I've always known about it. Every time Shuichi uses his card to transform into Zeronos, those who know of Nakamura will lose their memories."

Mai was next to ask a question as she asked, "Okay, but why isn't it affecting us? Is it because we're singular points?"

"Correct. Since you two are independent from time, changes regarding to the timeline won't affect your memories."

"Okay, but what about us? We still remember who Shuichi is." Ruby asked.

"Well, your situation is different. The Zeronos cards uses the memories of Nakamura. Not Shuichi. So the person you're referring to now is an individual of the past, not the present. And since none of you girls have any memories of the Nakamura, your memories aren't erased since there wasn't any memories of him to begin with." The Owner answered as he took a sip of coffee.

I looked over to Blake as she had an analytical look on her face. "Wait. If Shuichi was pulled away from his time period, what does that mean for the individuals that Shuichi has met in his time?"

The Owner sets his cup down and answered, "Since Nakamura pulled Shuichi out of his time period, the changes in time has already taken effect and those who remember Nakamura in the original timeline…" He stops talking for a brief moment as he lightly taps the coffee in his cup, creating a small ripple effect running throughout. "...have lost all their memories. So now, they only remember Shuichi disappearing."

"I don't understand. Why would Shuichi use such a dangerous belt?" Mai asked.

"Now that's a question that I cannot answer. That is something for Shuichi to tell." The Owner answered.

* * *

"Hey Kurokuu, we're here." Mai said as she stopped me from running into the door.

"Oh, sorry! I wasn't paying attention." I apologized.

"It's fine. There's nothing to apologize about. Now, shall we?"

I nodded my head in response as I opened the two locker doors open. We all headed inside as we see Team RWBY getting preparing for their match. Ruby was the first to notice us as she said, "Oh! Hey, guys! What are you doing here?"

"Just wishing you all the best of luck." Pyrrha replied as she shook Ruby's hand.

"Thanks guys!" Ruby said cheerfully.

Yang cracked her knuckles as she said excitedly, "Guys, we got nothing to worry about. We got this in the bag!"

"Yang, let's not try to get cocky now." Blake reminded.

I looked at Team R(W)BY interact with Team JNPR and Mai before looking over to Shuichi and Deneb, who were standing in the corner of the locker room. Shuichi kept up his stoic expression while Deneb looked strangely happy? "Hey, Kurokuu." I hear a familiar voice call out.

I turned my head towards her voice as I see Weiss putting in an ice dust cartridge in the cylinder of Myrtenaster. I put on my best smile and said, "Hey, Weiss." I sat down next to her and asked, "So, are you ready?"

"Of course. A Schnee is always ready for battle." Weiss said with a proud tone in her voice.

I looked down at her weapon and saw that the blade of her weapon is a little dull. I smirked a little as I touched the tip of the blade and said, "Right. A Schnee is always ready."

Weiss looked at me confusingly until she noticed the dullness of her blade as well. Her face was filled with embarrassment as she grabbed the whetstone, oil, and metal file from her locker and said, "I was just about to get to that."

I laughed softly at her as she rolled her eyes and began polishing and sharpening Myrtenaster. As I watched her, I asked her once more, "But really, are you okay?"

"Well... In all honesty, I am a bit nervous. This is my first time participating in the Vytal Tournament. And I just hope the training I've done will be worth it." Weiss said with a worried expression on her face.

I sighed softly as I placed my hand on top of hers. "Weiss, you will do great. I know you will. Besides, you're a lot better than I am."

Weiss' facial expression changed from worried to determined as she said, "Thanks, Kurokuu."

"Well, a boyfriend gotta be supportive." I said to Weiss as I grabbed the cloth from her locker and tossed it to her. She caught it with her other hand before wiping the excess oil off the blade, creating a nice sheen on it.

Suddenly, the speakers in the locker room turned on, along with all the speakers outside, as Professor Port's voice came on. "What a great victory for Team CRDL as they proceed to the doubles round!"

Then, Doctor Oobleck came on next as he said, "Now I wouldn't say great, but a well fought match indeed! NOW! We move on to the next round as Team RWBY of Beacon will be facing off Team ABRN of Haven!"

"Looks like that's our cue." Weiss said as she holsters her weapon.

I was about to say something until Ruby appeared out of nowhere as she shouted with excitement, "WEISS, HURRY UP! WE'RE ABOUT TO GO ON!"

Weiss groaned and shouted back, "I'll be there in a second!" She turns back to me and said, "Well, I'll see you later, Kurokuu." As Weiss turned around, I felt that I had to do one more thing before she left. I grabbed Weiss' wrists, causing her to stop in place. She looked back at me with a concerned expression on her face as she asked, "Kurokuu, what is it?"

I pulled her close to me and gave her a quick kiss on the lips, causing her face to light up bright red. I rubbed my head nervously and said, "It's… a good luck kiss."

Weiss, still blushing, smiled and said, "Well… thank you for that."

I smiled back at her and said, "Now, go show em' what a Schnee can do."

Weiss, now filled with determination, nodded back at me and proceeded to walk towards the doorway to the arena with her team. The door opened slowly as a small bridge slowly rose up from the pit. The small bridge links up with the arena and doorway as Ruby shouted, "Alright team! LET'S DO THIS!" And with that, Team RWBY made their way across the bridge as the door slowly closes.

Team JNPR, Mai, Deneb, Shuichi, and I all stared at the closed doorway as Jaune said, "Well, we should probably get to our seats before we miss anything."

"Right, let's get going!" Mai shouted as we all rushed out of the locker room to get to our seats except Shuichi and Deneb, who were lagging behind.

* * *

 _The two teams finally meet in the center of the arena as they armed themselves for battle. In front of Team RWBY was Team ABRN of Haven, members consisting of two males and two females. Their leader, Arslan Altan, has a dark complexion with platinum blonde hair and green eyes. She dons a yellow robe with only one wide, loose fitting sleeve over a black tube top. She also has black pants and shoes and a red sash embroidered with a white "endless knot" on it. She has bandages on her legs and arms, as well as a red necklace and what appears to be two matching red sticks on the back left side of her head._

 _Their next member, Bolin Hori, has lightly-tanned skin, amber eyes, and black hair. He wears a yellow sash over a dark blue vest and gray pants with yellow lacing up the sides. He also wears black boots and black fingerless gloves, and a dark gray necklace._

 _The next member of Team ABRN is Reese Chloris. She has a fair complexion with light green hair swept to her right and green eyes. She wears a dark purple hooded sweater over a mauve sweater. She also wears black shorts, as well as knee pads and elbow pads on her arms and legs. She wears black shoe laced high top sneakers._

 _And lastly, Nadir Shiko, has a dark complexion with long pink hair that is tied back into a short ponytail with an undercut and blue eyes. His outfit consist of a cream-colored short-sleeved jacket with yellow details and a black, long-sleeved V-neck shirt, with cream colored fingerless gloves. He wears black medium-length pants and cream colored sneakers._

 _The two teams stared at each other intensely as Reese hopped onto her bladed hoverboard and shouted, "Are you guys ready to lose?!"_

" _Guess again! We're totally gonna kick your butts!" Ruby shouted back as she pointed her rifle at her._

" _Ooh! I can tell that this is already gonna be a great match!" Professor Port commented._

" _Why yes indeed, my friend. For those who are just tuning in, welcome to the Vytal Festival Tournament. This is being broadcasted live from the Amity Coliseum." Doctor Oobleck said as he gestures to the entire building. "If this is your first time watching, here are some ground rules. The tournament is divided into three distinctive rounds; teams, doubles, and singles. Age and school year are irrelevant! In this tournament, your only attribute being tested... is skill."_

" _Correct!" Professor Port jumped in. "The winners of this battle will elect two of their members to represent them in the doubles round, followed by the winners of that round choosing one member to advance once again. The remaining combatants will then fight their way through the final bracket in the hope of achieving victory for their kingdom!"_

 _Doctor Oobleck readjusts his glasses as he says, "And yes, Peter, these certainly are some spectacular spectacles on which to spectate on! I don't think anyone tuning in around the world is going to disagree with me on that!"_

" _And why would they? But enough stalling, let's begin the match between Team RWBY of Beacon versus Team ABRN of Haven! Now, let's see which environment each team will be fighting in!" Professor Port shouted as a two holographic roulettes appears. The roulettes cycles through various symbols and colors until the first holographic roulette stopped at an ice symbol while the other landed on a fire symbol. "Well, you would look at that! Team RWBY's turf will be the ice dust arena while Team ABRN's turf will be fire dust!"_

 _Just as he said that, half of the arena on Team ABRN's side changes into a fire dust environment while Team RWBY's side changes into the ice dust environment. Once the arena is done changing, Doctor Oobleck grips onto his microphone as he says, "Now, combatants. Are you ready?!" His response was the two teams readying themselves. "In 3. 2. 1. BEGIN!"_

 _And just like that, the battle has begun. Ruby began doing suppressing fire, causing Team ABRN to disperse and separate from each other. This allowed Blake and Yang to focus on one target as Blake goes for Reese while Yang goes for their leader, Arslan. Weiss and Ruby focuses on the remaining two members of Team ABRN as they try to steer them away from Reese and Arslan._

 _Blake's Gambol Shroud collided with Reese's hoverboard until Reese backflips away to create some distance between them before charging back in. Blake quickly rolls out of the way, causing Reese to turn her hoverboard back around. As Reese charges towards her, she twirls herself around until she launches the hoverboard at Blake. Swiftly, Blake deflects the board back at Reese, only for her to launch it back at Blake again. Blake blocks it once more, but the hoverboard returns back to Reese just in time before Blake unleashes a fury of slashes and kicks. Reese manages to block all of the incoming attacks before flipping away and landing back onto her hoverboard once more. Reese rushes towards Blake, who has a smirk on her face, but Blake quickly summons her ice infused shadow clone. This causes Reese to collide into the ice clone, allowing Blake to take this opportunity to slice Reese's board in half. But in the air, Reese's hoverboard transforms into dual bladed revolvers as Reese grabs them and fires a few shot at Blake before her tailbone painfully collides with the cold, hard ground._

 _Meanwhile, Yang lands mere feet away from Arslan, who backs away before being pounded by a flurry of punches and kicks until she delivers her own hits, ending with the two smashing fists and creating a shockwave of force from the impact. Yang and Arslan are both thrown back, but Yang reaches her and tries delivering more blows before Arslan uses her rope dart to tangle up her blonde adversary and land a kick of her own to send Yang skidding on the ground. While Yang tries to get her balance back on the slippery surface, Arslan rushes forward and knocks her back even further._

 _While this was happening, Nadir was aiming his rifle at Yang. He was about to pull the trigger until a sudden ice dust explosion appeared behind him, creating an ice block that goes up to his thighs. Nadir looks around frantically until he sees Ruby from a distance with her rifle aimed at him. Ruby pulled away from her scope as she shouted, "Got your back!"_

" _But who's got yours?" Bolin shouted back as he stands behind Ruby. He twirls his staff around and charges at Ruby. But then, a black glyph appeared on his left side as Weiss came in and kicked Bolin away._

" _My BFF!" Ruby replied back._

 _This causes Weiss to look at Ruby with a deadpan expression. "No." Weiss said before running off._

" _Yes." Ruby whispers as she pumps her fists._

 _Bolin slowly gets back up on his feet with the help of his staff as Weiss summons a white glyph in front of him. A second later, Weiss dashes by and slashes at him, then leaps up and attempts an aerial attack, which he's able to block. She readies her sword while preparing a glyph behind her, and Ruby uses it to launch herself straight up and come down spinning on Bolin, who manages to block the curved blade. Ruby grimaces and blasts herself away to Weiss' side, and Bolin rushes at them, rolling away from the shards of ice that rain on him and jumping over Ruby's swing as he continues running the other direction._

 _This leaves Ruby confused as she said, "What?"_

 _Then, Bolin breaks off a shard of a fire crystal and throws it over to Reese. With Dust in hand, Reese fuses it with her board, turning the aqua lights to a crimson shade. She winks at Blake, then uses the board's heat to free Nadir from his icy snare._

 _Reese comes back to Blake and slams her board into her enemy's blade, but propels herself backwards and knocks Blake through a frozen pillar. Reese attempts to use her board to slam her foe into the ground, but when she dodges that, she spins around in a flaming arc that Blake narrowly misses thanks to her shadows. Changing tactics, Blake launches the pistol part of Gambol Shroud at a nearby glacier and launches herself behind it, as Reese follows her and sees Blake with her back turned to her under an arch. Reese grins before riding in to deliver a flaming spiral at the shadow clone, only to see the ribbon Blake is launching to trap her opponent a moment too late. She pulls tightly and causes Reese to slam body-first into the string, only to use a final kick to knock her out of the stage. Reese crashes into the wall of the stands before landing on the ground, defeated._

 _Reese's aura level was displayed for everyone to see as it dropped down to red, making her ineligible to fight. "Ooh! A double whammy! Reese Chloris is eliminated by ringout and aura level!" Professor Port announced._

" _Oh, she really should've worn a helmet!" Doctor Oobleck commented as the fight continues._

 _The fight between Arslan and Yang continues as Arslan uses her rope to swing around and avoid Yang right behind her, using shotgun blasts to propel herself forward. Nadir comes into the picture, aiming his rifle at Weiss as she summons another glyph and launches Bolin at him. The two teammates are helpless as Weiss creates a whirlwind from underneath them and slamming the two together until she forms a giant ice fist straight up from the ground to trap the two. It reforms itself into a ball that rolls around the field, and when Arslan sees her team in this state, she rolls her eyes, annoyed, before changing direction and sliding into the path of the ball. She readies her stance and drives her hand into the sphere, which cracks under her power and frees her allies._

 _But this gave Weiss an opportunity as she shouted to Yang, "YANG!" This catches the attention of the blonde fighter as she sees Weiss creating a large, frozen slide structure. "NOW!"_

 _Immediately, Yang knew what to do as she blasts herself forward and skims over the wall of ice, catching Blake's pistol as her teammate uses Ruby as a launch pad to jump off of towards the remaining members of ABRN. The three only have a second to look horrified as Blake whips a screaming Yang around to land a devastating punch that sends the trio flying into their elimination._

 _The buzzer sounds as Ruby began cheering loudly. Yang smiled triumphantly as she said, "Yes!"_

 _Weiss has a surprised expression on her face as she asked, "We...did it?" She looks around in the crowd until she sees Kurokuu, along with the rest of Team MSKD and JNPR, cheering for their victory. Kurokuu looks at Weiss with a gleeful smile as he gave her a thumbs up, causing Weiss to smile back and do the same._

* * *

 _Meanwhile on the Den-Liner, The Taros watched the match play out through the eyes of Kurokuu as Momotaros shouts_ _ **, "Oh man! That match was great! I can't wait when our time comes!"**_

" _ **I know right?! Weiss was all like, 'Yang, finish them off'! And Yang was all like, 'Okay, I got this'! And then, boom! Knocked them all out with one punch! Yang-chan looked so cool there!"**_ _Ryutaros said excitedly as he fired his bubble gun around._

" _ **Yes, they did great and all, but you can't deny all those beautiful women out there. So many from afar..."**_ _Urataros said as he took a sip of his coffee._

 _Momotaros rolled his eyes and said_ _ **, "Of course, you would say that, you damn turtle."**_ _As Momotaros slowly sits back down, he sees, the usually sleeping, Kintaros lifting weights._ " _ **Oi, Kuma! What're you doing?"**_

 _Kintaros is seen lifting two, one hundred pound, dumbbells before dropping them to the ground. He wipes his sweat away and said_ _ **, "I'm training for our fight! A warrior doesn't charge into battle without being prepared."**_

 _Momotaros' eyes widen as he realized_ _ **, "Oh man, you're right! I need to start training too! I ain't gonna lose to a bunch of kiddies!"**_ _He stands up from his chair and walks towards Kintaros._ " _ **Oi, Kuma! I need you dumbbells!"**_

" _ **Oh, okay! Here!"**_ _Kintaros picks up his dumbbells and drops it in Momotaros' hand, expecting him to carry it. But the exact opposite happened as the weight of the two dumbbells pulled Momotaros to the ground._

 _Ryutaros sighed while shaking his head. He then crouches down to Momotaros and pats him on the head before saying_ _ **, "Baka-Momo, you're hopeless."**_

* * *

My team and I walked around the fairgrounds as we wait for the arrival of Team RWBY so we could all go out and celebrate their victory. Team JNPR would've joined us, but Ren said that Jaune wanted to go over a few "battle strategies" before their match. And quite frankly, I don't really blame them.

So now, it's just us. Mai breathed in the air and said, "This is such a wonderful time of the year. A time where we could see other people from kingdoms and interact with them peacefully."

I looked at all of the different people passing by. Humans. Faunus. Mistralian. Vacuan. Everyone is here together, smiling happily with one another. "Yeah. I think this time of the year is everyone's favorite." I said to Mai.

Deneb looks at Shuichi and asked **, "Shuichi, how do you feel about this time of year?"**

"It's okay, I guess. Never really had much fun here." Shuichi replied nonchalantly.

" **Really?! No way!"** Deneb shouted in shock. He then grabbed Shuichi and placed him over his shoulder, much to Shuichi's dismay. " **You need to go out and have some fun once and a while! Don't worry, I'll be there as your loyal best friend!"**

Shuichi tried breaking free of Deneb's grasp as he shouts, "OI, DENEB! LET ME GO! LET ME GO RIGHT NOW OR YOU'RE GONNA REGRET IT!" But Deneb didn't listen as he and Shuichi ran off to the carnival section of the fairground, leaving me and Mai behind.

"Uh… Don't be late for our fight?" Mai said right after they left.

I sighed softly and said, "Just let Deneb hang out with Shuichi. They're probably not gonna forget about our match." I proceeded to take another step, but since I wasn't looking where I was going, I accidentally bumped into someone.

I fell on my butt as I rubbed my head painfully. I looked up at the person who I bumped into, revealing to be a girl. She has a pale complexion with shiny blue eyes, red lips, long eyelashes, and long black hair that reaches down to her shoulders. She dons a rather simple attire; wearing a cotton black shirt, pants with a leather belt around her waist, and black sneakers. She looked down at me as she reached her hand out and asked, "Are you alright?"

I accepted her hand shake and said, "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going."

"It's fine. It's all an accident after all." She responded as she stares at both me and Mai.

She staring at us for quite a while, causing us to feel slightly uncomfortable. Mai decided to get us out of the situation as she said, "Well, it's nice to meet you. But, we really need to get going because we have to meet up with our friends."

She stared at us until her eyes widen with realization. "Oh right! I remember now! You guys are the team that we'll be competing against!"

"Wait, you're in the Vytal Tournament?" I asked with a surprised tone in my voice.

"Yeah! I heard that we'll be going against a team from Vale that is mixed. You guys must be Team MSKD!" She said with excitement.

Mai and I looked at each other before Mai asked, "Wait, are you the team we're going against from Haven?"

"Yep! I'm Mikoto Hoshizora of Team NOAH! My team and I have been preparing to go against you guys ever since we got our entry!" She then shook both our hands and continued, "It's so nice to finally meet you guys! I really wish that I could introduce you guys to my team, but they're all off doing their own thing."

"Yeah, same here. Our teammates left too."

Mikoto was about to say something else until her scroll started ringing. "Excuse me for a moment!" She said as she faced away from us to answer her call. "Hey, Naga…. What? A team meeting now? Alright, I'll come. Bye." Mikoto puts her scroll away and said, "That was my leader, I have to go right now. Sorry."

"It's fine. We'll meet again in the arena." I reassured Mikoto.

"Right!" Mikoto shouted excitedly as she ran the other direction. But as she was doing so, she stopped for a brief moment and turned around. "It was nice to meet you guys! See you later!" As we waved back silently in response, she said one last thing that caused shivers to run down my spine, "By the way, just to not confuse you, I'm a guy!"

I felt my eyes pop out of my sockets as she, I mean he, smiled femininely before running off. Silence filled the air between Mai and I as Mai said, "Well, that's quite a way to leave an impression."

"You think?!" I shouted in response. Oh Oum, I've never felt so betrayed! It's like getting stabbed right in the stomach! What's next? I find out that Weiss is a guy? Then again, let's not jinx it.

"YAHOO!" I hear a familiar voice shout. Mai and I both turned around to see Team RWBY approaching us. Ruby was jumping around enthusiastically, cheering happily over their victory. "WE DID IT! WE DID IT! WE-is anyone else starving?"

Blake had her hands behind her head as she states, "I may have worked up an appetite." That comment was soon followed up by a loud, growling noise coming from her stomach, embarrassing her on the spot.

Weiss shrugs her arm sarcastically as she said, "Gee, if only there was somewhere on campus to get food around here." She remains silent for a brief moment to really emphasize her point. "Oh wait."

Unfortunately for her, Ruby didn't seem to catch on as she places her hand on Weiss' shoulder and said, "It's okay, Weiss, I forget about the fairgrounds too." This garners a loud sigh reaction from Weiss.

Taking the initiative, we walked up to Team RWBY as I called out, "Well, if it isn't Team RWBY!"

Ruby was the first to reply as she said cheerfully, "Hey, Kurokuu! Hey, Mai!"

"Hey, everyone. Great job on making it to the doubles round." Mai congratulated.

"Aw, shucks. You don't have to say that!" Yang said as she wraps her arm around Mai's shoulders.

I walked over to Weiss with a smile on my face and said, "You did great, Weiss."

"Of course I did. Did you expect anything less?" Weiss boasted.

I sighed loudly while rolling my eyes. "Can't you just take the compliment?" This caused Weiss to giggle a little.

"Well, this calls for a celebration! Let's all go eat somewhere!" Ruby said excitedly.

"That sounds like a plan." Blake said as she places her hands on her stomach.

"Come on, I know just the place!" Yang said as she was about to lead us to the place we're eating.

I was about to follow them until I see Weiss looking at her scroll. I looked over to her and asked, "Hey, Weiss? Are you coming or what?"

Weiss quickly turns her scroll off and puts it away as she replied, "Don't worry, I'm coming."

"Hey! It might be hard to eat without this." We all turned around to the voice behind us as we see a girl with emerald green hair.

In her hands, she has Ruby's wallet along with my Rider Pass! We both panicked as Ruby began checking for her pockets. I quickly walked up to her and said, "Heh heh… thanks for finding our wallets!" I swiped the Rider Pass out of her hands quickly before grabbing Ruby's wallet and throwing it to her. "It must've fallen out of our pockets."

"Yeah, girl pockets are the worst!" Ruby agreed as she places her wallet back into her pockets, giving it a quick pat to make sure it's secure.

We all looked at the emerald-haired girl as Mai asked, "Um… have we met before?"

"Me? No, we haven't met before. But, you might've met my partner." The girl with emerald hair said as she gestures towards someone behind her. We look around until we see Mercury looking at some leather boots.

"Wait, you're Mercury's partner?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah, I just want to apologize for how he acted before. He could be a bit…." The girl with emerald hair stops herself for a brief moment as we look back at Mercury who was now sniffing the boots? "...introverted."

Yeah, introverted is a bit of an understatement. But then again, Mercury is pretty good. He manage to fend off against Pyrrha, the best of the best in Beacon! Which makes me wonder why he would forfeit the round if he had a chance? Well, that doesn't matter now; the past is in the past. I walked up to the emerald-haired girl and reached my hand out to say, "It's nice to meet you….?"

"Emerald. My name's Emerald." The girl, now named Emerald, said before accepting my handshake.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Emerald. My name is Kurokuu. And this is Mai, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang." I introduced.

Ruby then walked up to her and said, "And together, we are Team RWBY!"

Emerald then shifts her attention to Ruby and her team as she said, "Wait! You're the team that won against Team ABRN? You guys were awesome! That was a great match!"

Ruby blushes a little as she mumbles, "Oh, shut your stupid little face…"

Blake decided to engage in our conversation as she asked, "So, did your team advance into the doubles round yet?"

"Yeah, we haven't seen you fight yet. How did you do?" Weiss asked.

Emerald tilts her head up for a moment as she was thinking about her next choice of words. She then looked back at us and replied, "Let's say it went… really well. How about you guys? Did you guys go yet?"

"Oh no, not yet. Our match comes last on the bracket." Mai replied.

"I see." Emerald muttered.

"That's great. Uh. Why don't we all go and get a victory food together?" Ruby asked Emerald.

Sadly, Emerald quickly declined and said, "Gosh, I would love to, but you know how Mercury can be. He's quite a handful."

"Yeah, I can relate to that." Weiss said as she slowly peers over to Ruby, which caused Ruby to laugh nervously.

"So yeah, looks like Merc and I are going to move on to the doubles round. What about you guys?" Emerald asked.

Ruby had a proud expression on her face as she said, "Well, as the leader of this team, I thought long and hard about this decision."

"We put it to a vote." Weiss interrupted.

"Yes, so, but I decided that we should put it to a vote." Ruby said nervously as she backtracks.

"We voted for Weiss and Yang." Blake answered for Ruby.

Weiss smiled pridefully as she curtseyed and said, "I will happily represent Team RWBY."

"Yeah, of course you will." I said to Weiss as I place my hand on her shoulder, which caused her to smile back at me.

Yang pounds her fists together and said, "Yeah, we're gonna kick some butt!"

Emerald laughs at Yang's excitement as she said, "Well, if Mercury and I see you down the line, don't think we'll go easy on ya."

Yang and Weiss smiled confidently as Yang said, "Wouldn't have it any other way."

"What about you guys? Have you decided?" Emerald asked us.

Mai started pondering for a bit as she replied, "I don't know yet. I was gonna think about it after our match. But if I had to choose, I would put Kurokuu and Shuichi into the doubles round."

I was caught off-guard by Mai's response, which caused me to say, "Wait, what? Really?"

"Yeah! Kurokuu, your training with Shuichi has not only made you better, but you guys have some decent coordination with each other." Mai reasoned.

I sighed in defeat and said, "Yeah, I guess you're right about that."

Emerald turns around and walks towards Mercury, but she faces us one last time and said, "Alright! Well, we're going to catch some more fights."

We begin to do the same as Ruby said while waving her arm, "Have fun!"

"See you later!" Emerald shouted back while waving at us. She then turns away from us and walks with Mercury, leaving us to continue what we were doing.

* * *

 _As Team RWBY and M(S)K(D) walked away from Emerald and Mercury, she immediately drops the act, now revealing her disgusted expression on her face. "So, how are the new 'friends'?" Mercury asked while making an air quote around the word, friends._

" _I hate them." Emerald scowled._

 _Mercury simply shrugged it off and said, "Orders are orders."_

 _Emerald curled her fingers into a ball as she complains, "I just... how can they be so happy all the time!? And that Den-O guy and Heiress? UGH! They're the worst!"_

 _"Did you at least get what we want?"_

" _It's the heiress and the bimbo. As for Team MSKD, it's the Den-O and Zeronos." Emerald quickly answered._

" _Of course that white hooded chick would pull something like that off. They're both powerhouses on the team after all." Mercury said with an vexed tone in his voice. He sighed softly before smirking sinsterly and said, "Well, at least we know who we're dealing with."_

* * *

We walked around the fairgrounds for a few minutes until we arrived at a place called "A Simple Wok". All of us were okay with the place except for Weiss, who asked Yang, "Is there any other place that we could eat?"

Yang looked at Weiss and said, "Come on, Weiss! You gotta try to ramen here! It's amazing! I remember eating there all the time with Ruby and dad back at Patch, right Rubes?"

"Yep! And the sizes are HUGE!" Ruby exclaimed before rushing towards the hut and sat at her spot.

Everyone else was on board as they walk towards the hut to get their seats. I was ready to follow until I looked back at Weiss. "Come on, Weiss! The food is gonna be great!" I tried to convince Weiss.

Weiss sighed in defeat and said, "Alright, I'll come." We both walked towards the hut and sat next to each other as everyone was ordering their food.

"I'll have a bowl of regular, please." Yang ordered. And just like that, a large bowl of ramen appeared before in an instant. The ramen wasn't anything special. It just had the bare minimum, containing the ramen and the broth.

Ruby stares at Yang's meal in awe as she said, "Oohhh... I'll take the same." And just like before, a large bowl of ramen appeared before her an instant! Dang, how fast is this guy?

I looked over to Weiss, who had a concerned expression on her face, as she asked, "Do you have anything with a low-salt ...?" The cook quickly responded by giving Weiss the same large bowl of ramen. "Um… okay…?"

I then look over to Blake, who merely gave the cook a nod. The cook returns the gesture as he rushes through one door of his shop and comes out through the other, leaving a large bowl of ramen topped with fish in front of Blake. Blake breaks her usual stoic demeanor as her eyes light up with joy and her drool coming out of her mouth at the sight of her meal.

Weiss, Mai, and I looked at Blake with concern as I asked her, "Uh… Blake? You alright there?"

"I'm more than alright…." Blake replied without making eye contact, still entranced by her meal.

I sighed softly before shifting my attention onto the menu. I skim through the gallery of food that the cook can make until I stopped and saw the Vacuan-styled ramen special. This special includes miso soup, chicken broth, three slices of chashu pork, an egg, and some green onions on the side. I felt my mouth salivate at the sight of the chashu pork as I ordered, "I'll take the Vacuan special please!"

The cook nodded in response as he repeats the same process for what he did for Blake. But instead of presenting me with a bowl of ramen topped with fish, he presented me a large bowl of ramen topped with everything included in the order, especially the chashu pork. I smiled with satisfaction as I looked up and saw the cook giving me the thumbs up, which in turn caused me to return the gesture back.

Now, Mai is the last to order, but she quickly made her decision and said, "I'll just take the regular too." And exactly like before, a large bowl of ramen appeared before her.

Mai and I were ready to pay for our meals as we pulled out our wallets. But Weiss stopped me as she pulled out her credit card and gave it to the cook. I looked at her and asked, "Hey Weiss, why are you paying for our meals?"

"Yeah, Weiss. What's the occasion?" Yang asked.

"Well, consider it a thanks for sending me to the doubles round." Weiss said with a smile on her face. But she then looked at me and continued, "And I know for sure that you can't pay for your meal, Kurokuu."

I felt my heart get stabbed by her cold comment as I grabbed my chest and said, "Ow, have you no mercy for me?"

Everyone laughs at Weiss' remark until Weiss' debit card got flung back at her. We all were confused for a moment until we looked up and saw that Weiss' card was denied, which didn't sit well for her. "What?! How can my card be declined? I was barely into my monthly allowance!"

Blake started panicking as she tries to move the bowl towards herself, but the cook saw her and took the bowl of ramen away from her. "Nooooo!" Blake cried in defeat.

With the situation we're in, I was ready to come in and help with the payment. But just as I was pulling out my wallet, a familiar voice came in and asked, "Maybe I could help?"

We all looked up and saw Pyrrha and the rest of Team JNPR with her. Team RWBY's spirits were immediately lifted as Ruby flings her arms up and shouted, "Pyrrha!"

"Pyrrha? I thought you and Jaune were having some kind of meeting?" Mai asked them.

"Well, after going through it a few times, I think it's safe to say that we are well-prepared for our fight!" Jaune exclaimed as he places his hands on his waist and pumps his chest up.

But Ren quickly came in and said, "We spent twenty minutes thinking up of names for our battle strategies."

Jaune deflate at the truth as his head hung low and said, "Forget what I said…."

"So…? Do you need some help with paying?" Pyrrha asked once more.

"Aw, you don't have to …" Yang said, trying to not sound greedy.

But, Blake was desperate for her fish ramen as she said, "But she could!"

"Well, I think you all earned it after that battle." Pyrrha said.

Jaune perked himself back up as he asked us, "Mind if we join you guys?"

* * *

 _Few Minutes Later_

I slurp up the remaining ramen before chugging down the rest of the delicious chicken broth before slamming the bowl on the table. I exhaled loudly as I place my hand on my stomach, feeling very stuffed. I hear everyone giggle around me as I asked them, "What?"

Mai covered her smile with her hand as she said, "Nice moustache, by the way…"

I looked down and saw that I had a little strand of ramen stuck on my lips. My realization caused everyone to laugh, except Weiss who thought it was rather immature. I cracked a smile myself as I got up and pretended to be that sensei in that one movie. "Remember. Wax on, wax off." This caused everyone to laugh a little harder as I grabbed the chopsticks from my bowl and said, "Man who catch fly with chopsticks can accomplish anything."

As everyone was laughing at my very bad impression, Weiss rolled her eyes and tossed a napkin at my face, which caused everyone to laugh even more. "Kurokuu, have some table manners." Weiss scolded.

"Aww come on, Weiss. Don't be such a downer." Yang said as she pushes her bowl aside.

I chuckled a little myself as I wipe the ramen strand off my face and said, "Alright, alright. I'll stop messing around. We can't help that Weiss can be a bit uptight."

"I heard that!" Weiss shouted as she slapped my shoulder, which caused me to laugh more.

Ruby places her hand on Weiss' shoulder and said, "Come on, Weiss! Loosen up a little! We're all here to have fun."

Meanwhile, Jaune was splaying himself over the counter and said sickly, "Kurokuu, you made me a laugh a bit too hard…"

Pyrrha immediately came by Jaune's side and asked, "Jaune, are you gonna be alright?"

"Oh man, I think I'm gonna hurl…" Jaune mumbled before he started to gag.

While everyone was worrying about Jaune, Nora had other things in mind as she said with an mischievous grin, "OOH! Aim at the enemy!"

Of course, Ren comes in and shuts that idea down and tells Nora, "Nora, that's disgusting. But if you feel the urge…"

Jaune gave a thumbs up and said weakly, "Got it…."

Suddenly, Pyrrha stands up from her seat and says, "Well, we should be off."

"So, you think you guys are ready?" Ruby asked Team JNPR.

"Of course! We've got a world-renowned fighter on our team, one's basically ninja, I can bench five of me, Jaune, we trained all year, our weapons are awesome, Glynda barely yells at us anymore, and uh... Jaune!" Nora said as she was gesturing to each of her teammates.

Ren looks over to Jaune and asks him, "Are you going to take that?"

"She's not wrong…" Jaune admitted.

"I'm kidding, he knows I'm kidding." Nora said, trying to make Jaune feel better. But she manages to focus back onto the conversation at hand as she said, "Don't be so nervous! The worst that can happen is we lose, that is just a few more years of walking around school with everyone knowing we're failures, our friends will slowly abandon us to preserve their social status, we won't be able to show our faces in class, no one will sit with us in the cafeteria, Ren and I have no parents, we have no home left to go to, we'll be officially renamed Team Lose-iper!" Team RWBY, Mai, and I stared at Nora uncomfortably as her laughter changed into sobbing.

She slams her head on the counter as Ren replied calmly, "So, yeah, we're feeling pretty good."

Pyrrha decided to lift her team's spirits and said, "Don't fret. If anything, we should be looking forward to a fight with actual guidelines, and not, well, ...murderers."

"Yeah, don't sweat it, we've all faced way worse before." Yang said with confidence.

Blake then started to count with her fingers as she reminisce about our adventures. "Let's see. Stopping a crime operation. Stopping a violent extremists group…"

"Fighting an evil time pirate that wanted to use an ancient godly power to destroy all of time." Mai added.

Ruby then hopped off her chair and said, "Aaaaaaand! We fight Imagins almost on a weekly basis! And that's all while were still in training! Oh, imagine what it would be like to graduate!"

"Yep, we get sent out to the world and help those in need." Mai said as she looked up into the sky with a hopeful gaze in her eyes.

But suddenly, the intercoms turned on as Professor Port announced, "Would Team JNPR please report to the battlegrounds immediately!"

"Yes! Like they were scheduled to, several minutes ago!" Doctor Oobleck added to Professor Port's order.

Pyrrha inhaled deeply as she said, "Well, it looks like this is it."

Team JNPR, in "high spirits", began making their way towards their Bullhead to get to the Amity Coliseum. We all waved at them goodbye as Ruby shouted, "Go get 'em!"

I pulled out my K-Taros scroll to check the time and saw that the match was about to start soon. I put my K-Taros scroll back in my pocket and informed everyone, "Well, the match is obviously gonna start soon. We should get going now before someone takes our seats."

"Right! Onwards!" Ruby shouted as we raced for a nearby Bullhead to take us to where Team JNPR is going.

* * *

 _The crowd slowly grows impatient as they wait for the next match to begin. Then, the crowd started booing as they were shouting things like, "When's the match gonna start?! We've been waiting for half an hour now!"_

 _Professor Port tries to calm them down as he gets onto the intercoms and says, "Now, now! The match will begin shortly. Please, just wait in your seats and be patient."_

 _Just as he says this, one of the security guards comes into the booth and informs Doctor Oobleck, "Sir, Team JNPR has arrived and they're ready for their match."_

" _Oh thank, Oum. I don't think I can keep them waiting for much longer!" Professor Port said with relief in his voice._

 _Doctor Oobleck quickly updates the screen outside to show Team JNPR's and Team BRNZ's aura as he shouts, "Well, what are we waiting for? Get the match on live!"_

 _Professor Port presses a few buttons on their table as the cameras begin recording and the bridges are starting to extend to the doors on each side. The crowd starts to cheer wildly as Professor Port shouts with excitement in the intercoms, "Welcome back to the Vytal Tournament!"_

" _We last left off with Team RWBY, who managed to secure their first victory and make their ways to the doubles round!" Doctor Oobleck reminded the audience._

" _Yep, that's quite right, Bartholomew. Team RWBY did a marvelous job, but let's see how these two teams will face off against each other as we start the next match! Hailing from Shade Academy, we have Team BRNZ; led by their leader, Brawnz Ni! And hailing from Beacon Academy, we have Team JNPR; led by their leader, Jaune Arc!"_

 _The crowd cheers loudly as the two teams walk across the bridge and onto the arena. Team JNPR waved happily at the audience before taking a look at their competition. Brawnz Ni is a young man with a very tanned complexion. He has dark purple eyes and short black hair with his hair slicked toward his left side. His outfit consists of a top that has gradients of gray and purple, black pants with bronze kneecaps, a dark purple scarf that wraps around his right leg, and black boots._

 _Then, you have Roy Stallion. He has a dark complexion with green eyes and brown hair that is styled in cornrow dreadlocks tipped in gold clasps. His outfit consists of a green vest buckled closed on his left shoulder, over a black T-shirt, and loose white pants rolled up to his knees. He also wears a pair of fingerless gloves with white armor parts that are the holsters for his saw blade projectiles, and olive green sneakers._

 _Next, you have Nolan Porfirio. He has a fair complexion with messy dark red hair and pink eyes. He dons a deep sky blue jacket with a black hood that has the sleeves rolled up, an open over a white shirt with a pair of sunglasses with pink lenses hang from his collar, a pair of ripped burgundy jeans, black shoes, and black fingerless gloves._

 _And lastly, you have May Zedong. She has a light tanned complexion with dusty rose hair and gray blue eyes. She wears a red and white jacket over a white shirt with blue tracksuit pants and a distinctive black beanie that covers her left eye. She also wears a large black scarf and red canvas sneakers._

 _The two teams stared at each other competitively as Professor Port said over the intercom, "Alright! Let's see what arena they will be fighting in!" Just as he said that, the holographic roulette appears again as it goes through the various environments. Then, the first dialed stopped for Team BRNZ as it shows a tree symbol. Soon after, the other dialed stopped for Team JNPR as it showed a mountain symbol. "Aha! It looks like Team BRNZ will be fighting in the forest arena while Team JNPR will be getting the mountain arena!"_

" _Quite an interesting turn of events here, folks!" Doctor Oobleck exclaimed. "These arenas can benefit these two teams quite well!" Just as he said that, both sides of the arena begin to change into their respective arenas._

" _Well, enough talk. Combatants, are you ready?!" Professor Port shouted._

 _As the teams prepared themselves for battle, the King is seen loitering against one of the entrances to the audience seats. He looks at the the two teams below before shifting his eyes onto Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald, who were clapping along with the crowd. His dull facial expression remained the same until he looked at Kurokuu, who was sitting right next to Team RWBY and Mai._

" _YEAH, GO TEAM JNPR!" Kurokuu shouted as he stood up from his seat and kept on cheering._

 _Slowly, it shifted into a twisted smile as he muttered, "Ryutaros… It's been a while…"_

" _3\. 2. 1. BEGIN!" Professor Port shouted as the fight takes off. Team JNPR rushes towards Team BRNZ as they do the same, except for one. In the center of the arena, Brawnz Ni delivers a knee kick to Pyrrha Nikos' shield that sends her skidding back, right before she blocks the claws on his fists with her xiphos. Ren readies his StormFlower to attack Nolan Porfirio, who almost gets blindsided by Nora's swing with Magnhild before he ducks under the attack and attempts to hit her with his cattle prod._

 _But as the fight progressed on, May finally made her move and fired two rounds near Ren, hitting the rocks behind him. Jaune manages to block Roy's sawblades with his shield before peering into the trees and seeing the glint of May's gun. She fired once more, causing Jaune to shout, "R-R-Retreat!"_

 _Ren glances back at their leader as a stray bullet hits the ground by his feet. He and Nora start running back into the mountains as Jaune and Pyrrha cover their escape by blocking the bullets with their shields. The four leap over a rocky outcropping for cover. Now stuck behind cover, May performed suppressing fire, forcing them to stay where they are as her teammates advance to their position. "What do we do?" Pyrrha asked their leader._

 _Jaune looks back up at the mountain as he sees the cloud slowly forming. "We gotta stall for more time! Spread out and try to keep moving until the storm cloud forms!" Jaune responded. They all nodded in unison before getting out of their cover and defending themselves from the Brawnz and their others._

 _May gets even higher in the tree and smiles from behind her scope as she looks at the fight below. Brawnz and Pyrrha continue to duke it out while Nolan slowly advances on Ren when he slides into his path. The prod-wielding warrior looks back at the trees and nods to his hidden ally, who shoots at Ren's feet again and makes him jump around trying to dodge them. Just as he lands, Nolan hits him upside the head with his weapon, and is able to miss the retaliatory kick with another blow to the knee and a final hit to the chest using the business end of his prod. Electricity shoots through Ren's body before he collapses to the ground beside his childhood friend._

" _Ren!" Nora shouted. Filled with anger, she takes a swing at Nolan, who promptly dodges it and again unleashes his weapon's power into her corset, though this causes a quite different reaction from the grinning redhead._

" _Oh-ho! Looks like one of my favorite students, Nora Valkyrie, is charging up to use her Semblance!" Professor Port informed._

 _Nolan looked up at the screen with a panicked look as he said, "What?!"_

" _Yes, Ms. Valkyrie's Semblance lets her produce, as well as channel, electrical energy straight to her muscles! This allows her to jump explosively into the air, wield her mighty hammer, or in this case, absorb Nolan's attacks and send the young man flying!" Doctor Oobleck answered._

" _WHAT?!" Nolan freaked out as he faces a super-charged Nora. Nora flexed her arms as pink lightning is seen coursing through her body. Nolan attempts to lift his hands up in surrender, but thunder starts sparking from Nora's Aura as she rushes at him. She hits Nolan head-on, sending him bouncing across the arena and crashing into a rock._

 _Then, the roar of thunder disrupted the arena as Jaune looks up and sees that the storm cloud has finally been formed. "Nora! Get to the mountain!" Jaune commanded._

" _You got it!" Nora said with a salute before sprinting towards the mountain._

" _Ren! Try and distract the sniper!" Jaune told Ren._

 _Ren slouches as bullets fly past his head and said sarcastically, "Sure... Why not." The remaining three members of JNPR run forward as Nora hops up and rapidly ascends the mountain. Roy throws the saws from his gloves into Jaune's shield, which still manages to bend the metal and slam the leader's own defense in his face before the weapons return back to their master. Pyrrha gets up close to him, and he delivers a series of spinning swings with his arms into Akoúo̱ as Jaune shakes off his disorientation and charges into battle yet again._

 _Pyrrha takes on both Brawnz and Roy, delivering a kick to one as she deftly dodges and blocks the discs of the other, throwing her javelin to distract the latter while she somersaults back to use both feet in landing a blow on Brawnz. May attempts to shoot Ren while he dashes his way toward her position, leaping out of the way of her shots, the flying saws, and even sliding under Pyrrha before he runs at Nolan, weapons blasting until he's close enough to start swinging his blades away. He ducks and deflects each of the cattle prod's attempted hits until he manages to hold it in the pistol's blades and double kicks his opponent, giving him the opportunity to catch Nolan's weapon in his own as the prod is forced behind Nolan's head and leaves him trapped. Ren hides behind the teammate of the sniper, who stops aiming at him and lifts her barrel up to Nora's position._

 _Ren struggles to keep Nolan in place as he calls out, "Nora!"_

 _Jaune catches Brawnz's claws with his sword as he looks back and sees Nora reaching towards the peak of the mountain. Being the quick-witted leader, Jaune calls out, "Pyrrha! Up!"_

 _His partner rushes towards him, dodge rolling to avoid a launched saw until she bounds over Brawnz and lands on Jaune's shield. He manages to throw her into the air with her own shield raised to block the kill-shot aimed at Nora. This gives the redhead just enough time reach the peak, and she lifts her hammer up as a bolt of lightning hits the weapon directly. She changes it back into grenade-launching form and pops the front off to reveal six explosives that shoot out over the field in a heart-shaped formation onto the sniper. The poor girl barely has time to gawk before she leaps over to a nearby tree just as the one she was in goes up in pink flames, leaving only a giant scorch mark billowing smoke to block out the coughing sniper's view. She jumps down from the branches just as her three teammates look up and behind them at Nora coming down on them like a meteor, slamming her hammer into the ground and sending the enemies back at the feet of their disoriented teammate._

 _Taking advantage of this moment, Jaune exclaims, "This is it, guys! Let's finish 'em with team attacks!" He lifts up and sword and shouts, "Ren! Nora! Flower Power!"_

" _Wait, what?" Nora said confusingly._

 _Jaune lowers his sword as he looks back at his confused teammates and said, "F-Flower Power." His teammates shrugged, completely lost on what that term meant. "That's your team attack name!"_

" _Since when?" Ren asked._

" _Guys, we've been over this!" Jaune said stressfully. Flower Power is Ren and Nora! Ren brings a flower, Nora brings the power!"_

" _How do I bring a flower?" Ren asked while scratching the back of his head with his gun._

" _No, silly, not a flower! Flour, like in baking!" Nora assumed._

 _Ren, still completely lost, asked, "Why would I bring that?"_

" _I- Uh- No, it's your symbol!" Jaune tried answering._

 _Pyrrha, just as confused as the rest of her team, asks their team leader, "Sooo, what are we?"_

" _Pyrrha!"_

" _Sorry! I just want to make sure it's clearly defined." Pyrrha clarified._

" _Pyrrha, you and I are Arkos. It's that thing, when we take our shields? Remember?" Jaune tried explaining to Pyrrha._

" _Arkos?" Pyrrha said with uncertainty in her voice._

" _Yeah! It's our names put together!" Jaune explained._

" _Right, no, I get it…"_

" _What, do you not like it?"_

" _No, no! It's... good?" Pyrrha said with hesitation._

 _Nora then joins in the conversation and comments, "Mmm, I sense hesitation."_

" _Hey!" Brawnz shouted loudly, finally grabbing the attention of Team JNPR. "What do you think you're doing!?"_

" _Trying to have a team meeting, thank you very little!" Jaune replied as if having a team meeting in a middle of a fight was normal._

" _Yeah! Team ears only!" Nora said while pointing her ears, emphasizing her point._

 _Brawnz looks back at his befuddled team and shouts back, "WE'RE IN A MIDDLE OF A FIGHT!"_

 _Suddenly, Jaune face back and shouts even louder, "AND WE'RE IN A MIDDLE OF A CONVERSATION! WHAT DON'T YOU GET ABOUT THAT?!"_

" _Uh… Jaune?" Pyrrha called out._

" _Yes, Pyrrha?" Jaune asked with a hint of an annoyed tone in his voice._

 _Pyrrha gestures to the entire arena and says, "I think that he means that we're all in the middle of a fight."_

 _Finally, the sound of the crowd finally made Jaune realize what's really going on. Jaune inhaled deeply as he places his sword on his forehead and tells Nora, "Nora, just... hit them with the hammer."_

 _Nora grins eagerly as she replied, "Got it."_

" _Wait, what?" Browns said his final words as Nora jumps over to Team BRNZ and brings her hammer around to collide with all four screaming fighters. They get knocked all the way back into the force field surrounding the arena's rim._

 _The crowd begins to cheer as Professor Port states, "And with that, it appears Team JNPR wins by knockout, literally! ...Can someone go make sure they're okay?"_

 _The crowd cheers loudly as we see Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury clapping along for Team JNPR's victory. Cinder smirked and said, "Well, that was an entertaining match."_

" _Oh, please. They looked like idiots out there." Mercury insulted as he kicked his feet up against the railing of the arena._

 _Emerald just rolls her eyes and says, "And of course, Pyrrha Nikos is performing at her 'best'."_

" _Oh, Emerald. You have to give Pyrrha Nikos some credit. Besides…" Cinder stops herself for a moment as she sees Mai and Kurokuu exiting the arena. "She'll provide much more of a challenge than anyone else."_

* * *

 _Meanwhile at the Crow Bar, a familiar scythe wielder watches the match from a small tv as he takes a swig from his drink. The Bartender is seen cleaning the surface of his glass as he said, "Huh, those kids weren't half bad."_

 _Qrow exhales loudly and comments, "I've seen better." He then raises his glass to his lips and downs the drink._

" _Aw, come on. I think they did great! I mean, having Pyrrha Nikos on the team and all."_

 _Qrow looks at Pyrrha Nikos waving at the audience as he said, "She's good, but not that good."_

" _Well, we have two more matches. Maybe you'll find one that you like?"_

 _Qrow Branwen stares at his empty glass before replying, "Sure, what the hell. I got time to spare." The Bartender nods as he grabs a bottle of whiskey off the shelf and pours him another glass._

* * *

 _Meanwhile, Shuichi is seen walking casually through the fairgrounds while Deneb is holding a bunch of stuffed animals and prizes. Deneb stumbles around, making sure that he doesn't drop anything, and said_ _ **, "So, Shuichi… are you having fun?"**_

 _Shuichi sighed softly and said, "It's fine, I guess. At least I won all this useless stuffed animals that I'll probably throw away when I get back to our dorms."_

 _Deneb sighs nervously, worried about his teammate, and asks_ _ **, "Is something wrong? You seem down."**_

 _Shuichi looks at Deneb suspiciously before replying, "There's nothing wrong. I've just been… thinking about a lot of things lately."_

" _ **Is it something bad?"**_

" _No. Not really. It's just about what Gaoh said is all." Shuichi quickly replied._

 _Deneb look at Shuichi intensely as he said_ _ **, "Shuichi, I know there's something wrong. You can talk to me, remember that."**_

 _Shuichi slowly starts getting annoyed by Deneb's persistence as he pushes him aside and said, "Like I said, it's fine. Could you stop pestering me with your questions, alright?"_

 _Deneb tries to connect with Shuichi once more, but he stops himself; not wanting to upset Shuichi anymore than what he's dealing with as of this moment. The tense situation was quickly diffused until a familiar voice cut the silence, "Shuichi? Is that you?" Shuichi looked up and saw Kasumi, wearing a rose pink dress that reaches down to her knees, a white winter jacket, and brown winter boots with a bows on the side. "You're here too? Oh wait, I forgot that you're in the competition with my brother. How are you?"_

 _Shuichi doesn't know how to react as he turns to Deneb for help, only to see him completely disappear. On the spot, Shuichi replied, "I'm doing… good! You know, the Vytal Festival is here and I get to compete and all with your… lovely… brother…"_

" _Yes. Oh! I almost forgot! Oh man, I just keep on forgetting everything today, aren't I? I never had the chance to say thank you for saving me from Akagi. I'll promise I'll make it up to you somehow."_

" _Oh, you really don't have to. That's what a Huntsman does." Shuichi politely declines her offer._

" _No, no, no. I insist!" Kasumi said as she reaches into her bag and pulled out a cheaply made card that reads "Free Milk Dipper Membership Card"._

 _Shuichi slowly takes the card and says, "Um… what is this?"_

" _That right there is a membership card to my cafe! If you have this card in hand, you can order whatever you like on the menu for free! But then again, you have to renew yearly and-"_

" _Kasumi." Shuichi interrupted. He inhales softly and replied, "Thank you. I really appreciate it."_

" _You're quite welcome! Any friend of Kurokuu is good in my book!" Kasumi said as she zips up her bag._

" _So, what brings you to the Vytal Festival? Do you go to the fairgrounds often?" Shuichi asked._

" _No. This would be my first time being here. My little brother and I would always watch the Vytal Tournament on TV. But since Kurokuu is in the tournament this year, I thought that it would be best for me to come here for once and give my full support in the arena."_

" _I see. Well, that's good to hear. I'm sure Kurokuu would love for you to support him."_

 _Kasumi nodded in agreement. She looked up to the sky and sighs loudly as she reminisces, "It feels just like yesterday that Kurokuu was accepted into Beacon. I could remember before that he would get his butt kicked so often and I would have to patch him up all the time."_

" _Yeah. At first, he was a bit… inexperienced in terms of fighting. But, I can tell you now he's different than before." Kasumi looked at Shuichi curiously before he reassured her, "I mean in a good way that is."_

 _Kasumi smiles back and says, "Well, that's very good to here. It seems like I always gotta thank you for something. So, thank you for being such a good friend and teammate to Kurokuu."_

 _Shuichi smiles back a little before mumbling softly to himself, "Friend…"_

" _What was that?" Kasumi asked, not being able to hear him._

" _Oh, nothing. It's nothing." Shuichi quickly responded. Then, his scroll started ringing as Shuichi reaches into his pocket and pulls it out. The caller was identified to be Kurokuu as Shuichi answers the call and says, "Yeah, what is it…. Wait, our match is up soon? Of course, I checked the time! Alright, I'll be there, bye."_

 _As Shuichi ends his call, Kasumi asks, "Is that Kurokuu?"_

" _Yep. Looks like our match is starting soon." Shuichi replied as he puts his scroll back in his pockets. "I have to look for my teammate. But, I'll see you once I'm in the arena?"_

 _Kasumi nodded her head yes and said, "Sounds like a plan. I wish you and the team the best of luck!" And with that, she began making her way towards the bullheads to get to the Amity Colosseum._

 _Shuichi sighs softly before quickly skimming through the entire fairground to find the missing Deneb. But that doesn't take too long as Deneb came out from behind the counter of the leather boot shop and said_ _ **, "Kasumi is such a lovely woman, isn't she?"**_

 _Shuichi, still upset that Deneb left him, inhaled deeply before grabbing Deneb by his nose, causing quite a bit of pain to him. "Deneb, we have a match to get to. Come on!"_

" _ **Hai! Ow! Ow! OW! Shuichi, please let go of my nose, I'm sorry!"**_ _Deneb pleaded as they slowly make their way to the Amity Colosseum for their first match._

* * *

 _Meanwhile on the Den-Liner, Momotaros is seen bench pressing ninety pounds. His arms starts to become shaky as his breathing becomes more erratic. But quickly, Momotaros goes in for one more rep before setting the barbell back onto the bench._ " _ **Hehe. Look at me! I am so ready for the fight!"**_ _Momotaros said confidently as he flexes his muscles._

 _Urataros rolled his eyes and said_ _ **, "Right, senpai. Anyways, we still haven't decided on who's going first for our match."**_

" _ **Obviously, it's me."**_ _Momotaros, Kintaros, and Ryutaros said at the exact same time._

 _They all stared at each other as Ryutaros said_ _ **, "What? But I want to go first! Why should you idiots go first?!"**_

" _ **Simple. I'm the first one to inhabit Kurokuu, and I'm clearly the best out of all of you."**_ _Momotaros replied to Ryutaros._

" _ **So? Even with your last minute muscle training, I should go first since I'm clearly the strongest!"**_ _Kintaros argued._

" _ **You're the strongest? I managed to take all of you down by myself! I should go first!"**_ _Ryutaros said as he pushes Momotaros aside to face Kintaros._

" _ **ALRIGHT YOU LITTLE BRAT, I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS. THEN YOU'LL KNOW WHO'S THE STRONGEST!"**_ _Momotaros shouted as he puts Ryutaros in a headlock._

 _As Kintaros joins in on the small tussle, Urataros tries to break up the situation and said_ _ **, "Everyone, calm down. We don't need to get in a fight."**_

" _ **BACK OFF KAME-CHAN/KAME!"**_ _Momotaros and Ryutaros shouted as they try to take down Kintaros._

 _Suddenly, Naomi walked into the dining car to see The Taros bickering and fighting against one another. Slowly becoming stressed out from all the yelling, she pulls out a BB pistol and fired it in the air, grabbing the attention of all of the Imagins. "Everyone, listen up! STOP BEING SO LOUD IN THE DINING CAR!" The Taros immediately tremble at the sound of her voice, causing them to look at her fearfully. "Instead of agreeing, we decide with these!"_ _She then pulled out four sticks, causing some confusion between the four Imagins._

" _ **What's this?"**_ _Momotaros asked._

" _We choose who goes first with sticks. Longest one goes first. Shortest one goes last." The Taros looked at the sticks, trying to figure out which one is the longest. "Alright, who's going first?"_

 _The four Imagins all looked at each other before Urataros said_ _ **, "I'll go first."**_ _He then grabs the stick on the far right._

" _ **Alright. I'm next!"**_ _Kintaros said as he grabbed the stick on the far left._

" _ **Ooh! My turn!"**_ _Ryutaros exclaimed as he chose the one on the left._

 _And lastly, Momotaros grabbed the last stick while grumbling very softly. They all looked at each other once more before opening their hands. Kintaros was the first to react as he shouts_ _ **, "Yes! I get to go first!"**_

 _Urataros sighs softly and says_ _ **, "Well, it looks like it can't be helped. I'm second."**_

" _ **Third?! I wanted to go first!"**_ _Ryutaros complained with a pout on his face._

" _ **Why should you be complaining?! Look what I got! LAST!"**_ _Momotaros shouted as he crushed the stick in his hands._

 _Urataros rolled his eyes and said_ _ **, "We agreed on this, Senpai. This is the order we're going in."**_

" _ **SERIOUSLY?!"**_ _Momotaros first looks at Kintaros and asked_ _ **, "Come on, Kuma! Let's switch spots!"**_ _Kintaros responded back by nodding his head no while clenching onto his stick tightly. He then looks over to Urataros, who gave him the same response. And lastly, he faces Ryutaros and asked_ _ **, "Oi, Brat. Let's switch places. Let me go third! Come on!"**_

 _Ryutaros pretends to ponder before replying_ _ **, "Nah. That's not my problem."**_ _Then, he ends the conversation with a flick to the forehead on Momotaros, causing him to fall backwards like a statue._

" _ **Now, don't be like that, Senpai. Think of you being last as a…. A show stopper!"**_ _Urataros said, trying to make Momotaros feel better; but his words doesn't seem to reach him._

* * *

We wait quietly in the locker room as we prepare ourselves for our match coming up. I look over to Mai as she is seen sharpening her arrows and cleaning up her combat bow. I inhaled deeply as I sat up from the bench and placed most of my belongings, including the Rider Pass and Keitaros Scroll, into the locker. The last thing that I had was the pocket watch from the cafe. I flipped the pocket watch around and read the message once more, "The Past Should Give Us Hope".

I run my thumb through the etched words before placing the pocket watch into the locker and locking it up. As I got up, I walked over to Mai and said, "Shuichi and Deneb is coming up in a few minutes."

Mai sighed stressfully and said, "Well, they better come soon. This always happens every time!"

"And like every time, they'll come." I reassured her.

"Right." Mai said as she got up and put on her quiver filled with arrows.

Suddenly, the intercoms turned on as Professor Port announced, "And with that, Team SSSN moves on to the doubles round! You know what I call that victory?"

"Shocking?" Doctor Oobleck asked.

"No. Well earned. What you said was stupid." Professor Port said disapprovingly. "Now! We approach to the last team match of the day as we have Team MSKD of Beacon facing off against Team NOAH of Haven! So don't go away!"

"Well, looks like we're up." I said to Mai.

She was about to say something until the door to the arena opened as we see Sun, Neptune, and the rest of his team walking towards us. One of his teammates is carrying the other, who was unconscious. The one carrying him has dark skin and yellow eyes. His hair is sage green, and he appears to have tattoos of wings on his chest and tattoos of Roman numerals around his neck. He wears a white long coat with asymmetrical sleeves, a green wing design similar to his tattoos and no shirt underneath, displaying his tattooed chest. His jacket also has a golden pauldron on his right shoulder and a golden cuff around his left wrist. He also wears a pair of dark pants fastened by a white belt with a yellow buckle.

The one being carried has red hair that comes down over his right eye, with a complete undercut. There are several red markings around his left eye. He wears a green, mulberry, navy color feather earring on his left ear, and has a red military pelisse-like jacket draped over the left side. He also wears a gray bandana around his neck. On his right hand, he wears a fingerless glove, and on his right bicep, he has a gray band. He wears a white sleeveless shirt and light gray pants. He also wears a pair of long, brown, laced boots. Around his waist, he wears a brown belt and a slightly slanted gray belt that his weapon holster is attached to.

Sun was the first to approach me as he gave me a big hug and said, "What's up, buddy!"

"Hey, Sun! Neptune! Great job on your match by the way!" I congratulated them.

"Oh, it's nothing. They totally stood no chance against us!" Sun bragged as he flexed his bicep.

Mai chuckled at Sun's overconfidence as she said, "Stood no chance huh?" Her eyes looked over to Sun's other teammates as they were a little more beaten up than their leader or Neptune.

"Pssssh! They're fine! We've taken worse, right guys?" Sun asked his teammates.

The one being carried moaned softly and muttered, "My bullocks…"

"Well, it's been nice to catch up with you guys, but we have to go get our teammates to the infirmary. Good luck on your match!" Neptune said as he and the rest of Team SSSN walked out of the locker room.

But just as Team SSSN left, Team RWBY immediately came right afterwards. "Hello, Team MSKD! Well, half of Team MSKD at least." Ruby said with a chipper attitude.

"So Mai, Kurokuu, are you guys ready to kick ass in the fight?" Yang asked, trying to pump us up.

Mai smirked confidently and replied, "Of course! We fought competition harder than this. Right, Kurokuu?"

"Oh, uh, right!" I said with all the confidence I have.

Blake looked around the room and asked, "Is Deneb and Shuichi still not here?"

Mai sighed and replied, "No… I swear those guys can never get here on time!"

"Relax. They're probably rushing to get here right now." Yang reassured Mai once more.

As that was going on, I look over to Weiss as she gestures to me to follow her. I walked over to where Weiss was, separating ourselves from the others. I felt some nervousness slowly creep up from behind, but I quickly shook that feeling off and said, "So, looks like I'm up."

"I can see that. Are you nervous?" Weiss asked.

"A little bit. But when you know that the special someone is out there cheering for you, it doesn't seem all that bad anymore." I replied confidently.

Weiss chuckled softly and said, "You know, I never realize you could be such a dork when it comes to flirting."

I laughed heartily and asked, "Well, is it working?"

Weiss rolled her eyes as she flicks me on the head and said, "Well, you gotta try harder than that."

I smiled at Weiss as I rubbed my forehead and said, "Come on, don't act like you don't like it." We both began laughing at each other before slowly calming down. A brief moment of silence passed as I inhaled deeply and said, "But in all honesty, I am nervous about this fight. I think it's safe to say that all of us felt this way before entering the arena. But unlike you guys, I started off with no experience in fighting. I've always thought that a life of a huntsman, let alone a Kamen Rider, wouldn't fit me. But, here I am! Even though I had the training and people keep on reassuring me that I'll do fine, I still feel like if I don't do my best, it'll remind me how far behind I am compared to you guys."

Weiss looked at me with a solemn expression on her face as she places her hand on my shoulder and said, "Kurokuu, don't think less of yourself like that. Besides, it makes you look pathetic for one." I rolled my eyes at her comment. "And also, you're not the same Kurokuu as before. You're stronger now than before with the help of your friends. So remember Kurokuu, it's not just you out there in the arena, your friends are there too."

I looked down at my hands as I inhaled deeply before I clenched them into a fist and said, "Right. I'm not alone." I looked back up to Weiss. "Thanks, Weiss."

Weiss smirked and replied with, "Well, a girlfriend's gotta be supportive."

I laughed at Weiss' antics as she laughed along with me. But soon, time would pull me back to reality as we heard Professor Port say on the intercom, "Now, we are at the last team match of the day as we have two teams from Beacon and Haven going against each other once again!"

"That is correct! But this time, we have a special team competing today! From Beacon Academy, the first mixed year team, Team MSKD! And from Haven Academy, we have Team NOAH!" Doctor Oobleck informed the crowd.

I sighed softly and said, "Well, looks like that's our cue."

"Yeah. I wish you the best of luck." Weiss said as she embraced me.

As I embrace her back, a thought ran through my head as I asked Weiss with a sly grin on my face, "Hey, Weiss. Is it okay if you give me a… good luck ki-?"

Weiss immediately stopped embracing me as she placed her index finger over my lips and said, "Don't even think about it."

My shoulders dropped down as I said with disappointment, "Alright. I won't ask if it makes you uncomfortable. But, I hope you cheer me on during the match." As I began walking away from Weiss, I felt her grip around my wrist as she pulled me back and forced me to face her. And in one swift motion, she grabs my muffler and pulled me down to her height and kissed me on the lips. We stared at each others eyes before giving into the intoxicating kiss.

Eventually, we pulled away from each other as Weiss whispered into my ear, "Remember, I make the calls when it comes to situations like this. Got it?" I simply nodded yes in response, still breathless from the kiss. Weiss smiled and said, "Now, get out there and show them what you can do."

Just then, Shuichi and Deneb entered the locker room as Shuichi said, "We're here."

Everyone faced Shuichi and Deneb as Mai walked up to them and asked, "What the hell took you so long?!"

" **I apologize, Mai. I lost track of time at the fairground even though Shuichi already warned me of the upcoming match."** Deneb said as he bowed his head down.

Mai sighed stressfully and said, "You know what? You guys are here, so let's get this match going." She turned towards the arena entrance as she proceeds to walk towards it. "You guys coming or what?"

Shuichi and Deneb both looked at each other before following Mai. I gave Weiss one last look as I smiled back at her and said, "Don't worry. They'll see plenty of what we can do."

And with that, I began walking towards the arena entrance as I hear Team RWBY cheering for us.

"You got this, Team MSKD!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Yeah, kick their butts!" Yang shouted as she pumped her arms up.

"Good luck." Blake said with a small finger salute.

"Best of luck to you all." Was the last thing that Weiss said as the arena entrance opened, flooding the locker room with the sound of the cheering crowd. Then, a small bridge rose up from the pit as it connects the doorway to the arena.

I inhaled deeply as I exchanged looks to my teammates. Mai had a determined look on her face while Deneb had a more eager look on his face. Then, I faced Shuichi, whose eyes were brimming confidence. He looked at me and said, "Watch yourself in the match. I'm not gonna be there to save your ass all the time."

I smirked back at him and said, "Right. I won't be a burden."

Then, we proceeded to walk across the bridge and onto the arena. The warm air of the crowd filled the arena as we look ahead to see our competition, Team NOAH. Their first member has a pale complexion with white hair and gray eyes. He dons a black V-neck shirt, a red jacket that has two separate sleeves connected by a metal plate at the back that show off his upper torso and midriff as well as a silver shoulder plate on the left side of his coat, and a strap that goes over the right shoulder and under it to wrap around his left side. He also wears black pants with a seperate open skirt that reaches down his shins and tied with an agemaki knot. He also wears black boots, fingerless gloves, silver-plated shin guards, two sheath on his side for his two swords, and a quiver filled with arrows.

Their second member has a fair complexion with brown hair and green eyes. He dons a green bandana, a green t-shirt, white long-sleeved jacket with yellow lines running down from the shoulder to the sleeve, fingerless gloves, blue jeans, and combat boots. In his hands, he is holding a spear with a split in the middle.

Their third member has a fair complexion with green hair and eyes. He dons a red scarf around his neck, red goggles that rests on his forehead, a red ringer shirt, a long green jacket with a fur-lined hood, blue jeans, brown sneakers, and two gauntlets resting in his hands.

And lastly was Mikoto, who is now decked out in his combat attire. Along with his normal attire, he also dons a metal chest piece to protect his torso, a long black jacket with shoulder-plated armor on both sides, an open black skirt the reaches down to his feet, and a sheath on his back that is holding his sword.

Mikoto waved at us and shouted, "Hey, Mai! Kurokuu! Let's have a great match, alright?"

"Right!" I shouted back.

The one in the red jacket took a few steps forward before asking, "So you guys are Team MSKD, huh?" He pulls out his scroll and takes a quick picture of us. "I've seen some of you guys in action before. Based off of footage and all." Wait, what? He knows who we are? How? He looked at Mai first as he skims through his scroll and said, "Mai. The leader of Team MSKD. Excellent marksman as well as hand to hand combatant. And you have the ability to slow down a person's movement. Interesting."

Mai had shocked expression on her face, but she managed to keep it subtle as she asked, "How did you know about-"

"'If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.'" The one in the red jacket quoted before facing Shuichi. "And you… I have quite a lot of information on you. Although outdated, your skills couldn't have changed from the past twenty years since you were last known." Shuichi gave him a strong glare as he continued, "Shuichi Nakamura. Age forty-one? Strange, you still have the appearance of a twenty-one year old. But that doesn't matter, you wield a sword and crossbow hybrid and have the ability to retrace back to your original position at any point from the past."

He then quickly shifts his attention to Deneb as he said, "And you! I've seen you and your kind based off the news we get from Mistral. Monsters attacking Vale. Hmph, strange how Professor Ozpin would let someone like you in."

And then, he faced towards me as he looks at me with curiosity and said, "You… Kurokuu Akarui. Strange, I don't have much information on you. You were only known to be around when the monster attacks in Vale occurs. And based off of your profile on BookFace, you seem to have a normal life until recently…"

I felt shivers run down my spine after witnessing this guy's detective work on us. He managed to find out our strengths and weaknesses so easily! How are we gonna compete against them?! Deneb slowly leans over to Mai and asks **, "Mai, he knows almost all about us. What do we do? We're fighting an uphill battle."**

"It doesn't matter. We're gonna beat them no matter what the odds are." Shuichi interrupted as he pulls out his sword.

Mikoto laughs as he leans onto the guy with the red jacket and said, "Oh, stop it, Regulus. You're scaring them with your stalker skills!"

The one in the red jacket, now known as Regulus, closes up his scroll and places it back into his pocket. "Mikoto, as Team leader, it's good to know who we're up against." He then turns towards his other two teammates. "Lugiel. Ready to bring your A game?"

"Of course." The guy in the white jacket, now known as Lugiel, said as he twirled his staff around.

"Zeno. Try not to mess around."

"Don't worry. It'll be easy-peasy." The guy with the red goggles, now known as Zeno, said as he unleashes his claws.

"Well, we have quite a line-up here, folks! Let's see what arena they'll be competing in!" Professor Port exclaimed as the holographic roulettes appeared and began going through the environments. We watch the dial spin faster and faster until the roulette on Team NOAH's side stopped at a symbol of a city. "Aha! It looks like they'll be in the abandoned city arena!"

Then, our roulette stopped at a rainforest symbol. "And it looks like Team MSKD will be fighting in the rainforest arena!" Doctor Oobleck exclaimed. Suddenly, both sides of the arena changed as Team NOAH's side changed into their abandoned city arena. The arena had two large buildings, some abandoned cars as cover, a torn up street running between the two buildings, and a bunch of vines and plants growing through their arena. The base of the two buildings are blown up, revealing the interior of the first floor while the rooftops on the second building is almost completely gone.

Then, our arena appeared as it revealed a large rainforest; complete with trees, vines, large bushes, dry foliage on the ground, moist dirt, a rain storm covering the entire arena, and a humid atmosphere.

"Now, combatants. Are you ready?!" Professor Port asked. I summoned the Momotarosword while everyone else pulled out their weapons. "In 3. 2. 1. BEGIN!"

* * *

 _Back at the Crow Bar, the match has begun on screen as Team MSKD and NOAH charged straight at each other, except for Regulus Naga, who is running back to the abandoned buildings. Deneb and Mai began laying suppressing fire, causing Mikoto, Zeno, and Lugiel to split. This allowed Team MSKD to choose their targets as Kurokuu competes with Mikoto, Mai with Zeno, and Deneb and Shuichi with Lugiel. Kurokuu rushes towards Mikoto before jumping over him and attempting to attack him from behind. But, Mikoto blocked the attack by drawing out his sword. With his sword drawn, Mikoto quickly turns around and swings his sword horizontally, but Kurokuu manages to backflip away from the attack._

 _Although Kurokuu seems to be on par with Mikoto, same can't be said for Mai. She seems to be having some trouble hitting her target as Zeno runs past and dodges all of the arrows being thrown at him. As Zeno closes the distance on Mai, she decided to resort to hand to hand combat as Zeno goes in for a straight jab, but Mai redirects his fist away. This left his torso exposed as Mai uses her slowdown semblance and strikes Zeno in the chest. But for some reason, the slowdown effect seemed to not affect him as he smirks at her and backhands Mai in the face. She staggered around for a moment, allowing Zeno to run around Mai and strike her from different angles, effectively trapping her. But then, Shuichi stopped what he was doing and fired a flash arrow at the green blur, releasing a large flash of light. This disoriented Zenos as he tripped over his own feet and hit the ground hard. Mai quickly recovered from the flash bang as she looked over to Shuichi and gave him a quick thumbs up._

 _Shuichi gave a small nod back before returning to the fight at hand with Deneb. Deneb is keeping Lugiel at bay as he fires round after round at him, but this didn't seem to stop Lugiel as he rushed towards Deneb while deflect all of the bullets. Closing the distance between them, Lugiel uses his spear to vault over Deneb and strike him from behind. He cried in pain as Shuichi rushed in to help his partner. He loads up a smoke arrow and fired it at Lugiel, tampering with his vision. Taking advantage of this, Shuichi retrace back over to Deneb and gives Lugiel the taste of his own medicine and attacks him from behind._

 _The bartender watches the fight with the drunken bird as he comments, "Well, well, well. These guys are pretty good. Although, that monster guy kinda worries me a little. You know, after seeing what those monsters did back in Vale."_

 _But Qrow Branwen didn't utter a single word as his eyes were fixed on a certain green swordsman on screen. His eyes were widen with shock as he accidentally drops his drink, shattering the glass. "No. I must be too drunk… it can't be him…" Qrow muttered._

" _Hey! You broke the glass, so you're gonna have to pay for it!" The bartender said as he opened up his hands, expecting Qrow to pay for it._

 _Qrow, still in shock, looks back behind him and sees an Atlesian aircraft flying ahead. He looks down at his shaking hands as he closes them into a fist, trying to calm down. Slowly, he opens his hands back up and tosses a few liens at the table. "Here. Happy Vytal Festival Day." Qrow said before walking out of the bar._

 _The bartender grabs the liens off the table before reaching down to grab a dust and pan. But as he stands back up, the dust pan accidently knocked another glass over, creating another mess to clean. "Gee, darn it…"_

* * *

Mikoto went on the offense as he swings his sword left and right. But, I managed to keep up with him as I parried Mikoto's strike to the head. This left Mikoto opened as I summoned the Uratarod and whacked him in the stomach before using the rod to vault myself over Mikoto and strike him from behind. With Mikoto down on the ground, I was ready to eliminate Mikoto until I felt a sharp pain run through my left shoulder.

"GAH!" I shouted loudly as I looked to my left shoulder and saw an arrow sticking out. I quickly yanked it out and looked around the arena until I saw Regulus on top of the abandoned building.

He began raining more arrows down on us, which caused Mai to shout, "Retreat! Into the forest!"

We quickly followed her command as we all rushed to our side of the arena while Deneb was handling with suppressing fire. "And what's this? It seems like team leader, Regulus Naga is pushing Team MSKD into the forest, effectively trapping them in there!" Professor Port exclaimed.

"Ooh, this is not a good position for Team MSKD to be in due to Mr. Naga's semblance!" Doctor Oobleck said.

Once we got inside the forest, we began assessing the situation. "So, what now?" Shuichi asked.

"Well, we gotta get out of here somehow!" I shouted as I laid flat on the ground.

I looked up at Regulus once more, but then another arrow flew past me and hit Deneb in the leg. " **OW! How is he still hitting us?!"** Deneb cried as he yanked the arrow out of him.

We quickly got back up and began rushing for cover with the trees. But once we got behind cover, Regulus is somehow still able to hit us exactly where we are. The arrows kept on hitting our cover as Mai informed, "He must have some kind of semblance that allows to target us no matter where we are!"

I looked at Mai's cover to confirm if what she said was true as I see Regulus' arrows hitting Mai exactly where her chest would be. But luckily, the tree managed to block the incoming arrows as it pierces through the other arrows stuck on the tree.

Shuichi briefly looked at Regulus one more time before returning back to cover. "He's up on that building rooftops. We have to find a way to get to him first before their teammates decide to come into the forest to finish us off!"

We all looked to Mai for some answers until I heard a familiar voice say **, 'Oi, Kurokuu-dono. Do you require some assistance?'**

"Kintaros?" I said loudly, grabbing the attention of my teammates.

"Kintaros? Wait." Mai began looking around the forest as she looks at the trees and vines. She then looked towards me and said, "Kurokuu, we could use Kintaros' help. Can you get him out here?"

I nodded yes in response before focusing back onto Kintaros and asked, "So, you want to help out?"

' **Of course! Anything to help you, Kurokuu!'** Kintaros said as he possessed my body. He cracked his neck before saying **, "So, Mai. What do you need me to do?"**

Mai looked towards Deneb and Shuichi and said, "Deneb, Shuichi, make sure you don't let the opponents into the forest! Lay some suppressing fire!"

"Got it/ **Right!"** Deneb and Shuichi said in unison as they fired wildy in front of them.

"Kintaros, I need you to chop some trees down into logs!"

" **Roger that!"** Kintaros said as he summoned the Kintaros Axe and began chopped three trees down in one swipe. He then quickly trimmed down the logs and branches before asking **, "What next?!"**

Mai quickly pushed Kintaros out of the way and began tying the logs together, creating a makeshift shield. Our makeshift shield is fifteen feet in length and seven feet in width. It consists of the three chopped logs that are tied together by the ends using vines. Mai looked at Kintaros once more and said, "Alright, here's the plan. You carry this shield and run straight into the enemy arena. While that's happening, we're gonna cover you from behind and the sides, got it?!" Kintaros nodded before giving a quick thumbs up. "Good. Everyone on me!"

Shuichi and Deneb nodded before regrouping with Mai and Kintaros. Kintaros picks up the makeshift shield as everyone got behind him. As I watch the team form up and get ready, I said to Kintaros, 'Kintaros. Thanks for the help.'

" **No problem at all, Kurokuu. We're all in it to win it!"** Kintaros said as Mai gave him the cue to run. And with that, Kintaros rushed out of the rainforest with his makeshift shield with our teammates not far behind. Arrows starting flying at us, but the shield managed to take all of the hits for us.

" **IT'S WORKING!"** Deneb shouted with joy.

The crowd started going wild as Professor Port shouted in the intercom, "INCREDIBLE! ARE YOU SEEING THIS, BARTHOLOMEW?!"

"Indeed! It looks like Team MSKD created a makeshift shield to counter against Mr. Naga's semblance! How resourceful they are for utilizing their environment to their advantage!" Doctor Oobleck commentated.

We made our way out into the middle of the arena as Mikoto, Zeno, and Lugiel began surrounding us. "If you need to sneeze, do it now!" I heard Shuichi shout as he pulled out his stun arrow and fired it at the ground, releasing a large flash of light. This blinded our incoming attackers, allowing us to keep pushing forward.

"Regulus, get out of there!" I hear Zeno shout. Soon, the raining of arrows stopped, signalling us that Regulus has got off of his post.

Mai quickly looked back at Mikoto, Zeno, and Lugiel and noticed that the flash arrow was starting wearing off. "Alright, Shuichi, you're with me on eliminating their leader. Deneb, Kintaros, and Kurokuu, hold the other three off."

" **Got it!/ Roger!"** Deneb and Kintaros said in unison.

Shuichi quickly turned his crossbow back into a sword before giving Mai a quick nod. We soon initiated our plan of attack as Mai and Shuichi hopped over the makeshift shield while Kintaros and Deneb turned around and faced Mikoto, Zeno, and Lugiel. They all stop in place and had their weapons up as Kintaros drops the makeshift shield.

" **Deneb, stay on guard."** Kintaros said as he cracked his hands.

Deneb nodded back and said **, "Right, Kumataros!"**

Mikoto and Lugiel looked at Kintaros with caution. They must've noticed the change in appearance and stature as Mikoto said to his teammates, "Guys, I think there's something off with Kurokuu."

"I agree. I think we should take this slowly." Lugiel said.

Zeno looked at both of his teammates confusingly and said, "Guys, what do we have to worry about? If Regulus info is correct, this guy doesn't have much skills in combat yet! Let's just take him out and get to the monster guy!"

As Zeno activated his semblance, Lugiel shouted, "Wait, Zeno!" But Zeno didn't heed his warning as he rushed towards Kintaros at lightning fast speed.

But as Zeno goes in for a right straight jab, Kintaros redirects his arm upwards, leaving his entire torso exposed. Zeno's eyes were wide as plates as Kintaros shouts **, "DOSUKOI!"** With all of his strength, Kintaros does an open palm strike on Zeno, sending him flying across the arena floor and into the rainforest arena on our side.

Mikoto watched in shock as Lugiel said, "Just what I thought, there's more to this guy." Slowly, Lugiel raises his arm up and opens his hands, revealing a bright blue flame. The blue flame dances around in his hands before closing it back up, causing Lugiel's body to ignite. The crowd started gasping and cheering at the appearance of Lugiel's semblance as he said, "You handle the other guy. I'll deal with him."

Mikoto looked at Lugiel cautiously before nodding yes and rushing towards Deneb with a horizontal strike, to which Deneb quickly blocked and countered. Lugiel slowly walked up to Kintaros, standing face to face with one another. I could feel the radiating heat as Lugiel said, "So, you've been keeping your semblance and secret. Smart. I try to do the same thing, but it's was more of a safety hazard than being discreet. But enough of my chit-chat, let's see if you're strength can match mine."

Kintaros grins before cracking his neck and saying **, "I'll gladly fight against someone who has strength equal to mine."** Lugiel dropped his spear and got into a fighting stance as Kintaros did the same. They both circled around each other, awaiting for one of them to make their move. Then suddenly, both Lugiel and Kintaros attacked at the same time. Their fists made contact with each other, releasing a gust of air between them. Kintaros does a strong left hook onto Lugiel's ribs, but he quickly counters back with right hook across the face. The right hook caused Kintaros to stagger for a moment, but he quickly recovered and backhands Lugiel in the face.

Deneb is firing at Mikoto as he runs around him and deflects all of the shots. But as that was happening, Zeno slowly got back up on his feet and sees his teammates in need. "Mikoto, hold on!" With a boost of energy now in Zeno, he rushes towards Deneb at blazing speed and jump kicked him down to the ground. Deneb rolls back before getting back up and blocking Mikoto's downward strike. The situation shifted to a one versus two scenario as Deneb struggles to keep up with Mikoto and Zeno at the same time.

" **Kumataros, I could really use some help!"** Deneb cried out.

Kintaros quickly turns to Deneb while catching both of Lugiel's fists. He quickly focuses his attention back onto Lugiel as he slowly tightens the grip on his hands, trying to overpower one him. Slowly, but surely, Kintaros was spreading out Lugiel's arms out. With his torso completely exposed, he quickly lets go of Lugiel's fist and goes in for a double opened palm strike, sending Lugiel flying across the arena.

" **Deneb, hold on!"** Kintaros shouted as he rushed to his aid.

But suddenly, I felt Urataros appear as he said **, 'Kintaros, your time is up. It's my turn."**

Kintaros sighed loudly and said **, "Well, I had my run. These kids are tough. Be careful, Urataros."**

And with that, I felt Kintaros leave my body, only for Urataros to take over right afterwards. Urataros does a quick spin before he adjusted his glasses and said **, "So, Kurokuu-chan. Shall we?"**

'Yeah, let's go.' I said to Urataros as he walked over to Deneb, Mikoto, and Zenos.

Deneb was holding onto the blade of Mikoto's weapon while taking the hits from Zenos as he calls out **, "Kumataros, are you here ye-"** He stops to take a good look at my new appearance as he asked **, "Kametaros?"**

" **Why, yes. Of course it's me, who else?"** Urataros said as he summoned the Uratarod.

Mikoto and Zeno both focus their attention onto Urataros as Mikoto notes, "He sounds different again."

"Let's both work together for this one." Zenos suggested.

"Agreed." Mikoto said as he and Zenos both charged at Urataros.

As Mikoto goes in for a horizontal strike, Zeno jumps up and uses his partner as a boost to strike Urataros from above. But Urataros quickly counters by planting his weapon into the ground to block the incoming attack. Then in one swift motion, he uses the rod as a pole and swing around it to gain momentum to kick Mikoto in the face, knocking him down before quickly rolling out of the way from Zeno's attack.

"What the-?" Zeno muttered as he realized that he got his claws stuck into the ground.

Urataros waved his index finger side to side while saying **, "You gotta think fast to be fast."** And with that, he lifted the Uratarod off the ground and spears it to Zeno, causing the hexagon net to appear in front of him. Urataros got in position as he shouts to Deneb **, "Boost me!"** Deneb quickly nodded as he extends his arms out to form a platform as Urataros runs up to Deneb and uses his shoulder as a boost to perform a dive kick into Zeno, causing a large explosion to occur.

This sent Zeno flying into his side of the arena as Doctor Oobleck says on the intercom, "Ooh! There goes the first member of Team NOAH as Zeno Askaran is eliminated by a stunning dive kick from Mr. Akarui."

"And this pulls Team MSKD ahead as they are slowly beginning to turn the tides on the remaining members of Team NOAH." Professor Port said.

Deneb looked over to Urataros as he raised his hand up for a high five and said **, "Nice finisher, Kametaros!"** But before Urataros could say anything, the makeshift shield that we made earlier was flying towards our direction. " **LOOK OUT!"** Deneb shouted as he pushed Urataros out of the way. But sadly, Deneb took the full impact of the flying shield as he was sent flying out of the arena.

The crowd began cheering wildly as Professor Port announced, "Ooh! And Team NOAH quickly follows up with an elimination of their own as Lugiel takes out Deneb of Team MSKD by a knockout with their own shield!"

Urataros quickly turned towards to Lugiel as he is seen breathing heavily with his shoulders hanging low. The flames on his body seems to be dying down as he makes eye contact with us.

Just as Urataros was gonna go on the offensive, we both felt a sharp pain coming from behind as Urataros quickly turns around and sees Mikoto going in for an upward slash. However, Urataros quickly backflips away from the attack, but this left us completely opened from behind as Urataros quickly turns around and sees Lugiel splitting his spear into two mini spears. He tosses both of them at our general direction as Urataros kicks the first one away before knocking the other one away with his rod.

Urataros started breathing heavily as Mikoto takes this time to rush towards Lugiel's aid. "Are you alright?!" He asked his teammate in a worried tone.

"I'm fine. But my flames are dying down, you need to go regroup with Regulus to help him against the other two. I'll try to stall this guy as long as I can." Lugiel said. Mikoto nodded before quickly leaving Lugiel behind to help their leader. Lugiel rolled his neck around as he walked over to his two spears and picked them up off the ground. He assembled the two back together as he asked, "Your semblance. I've been confused about it ever since you somehow bested me. What is it? Is it strength? Endurance?"

Urataros brushed his hair to the side as he said **, "My semblance is rather peculiar. But, let say that there's a lot more to it than you think."**

Lugiel and Urataros both stare down at each other as they wait for one of them to make their move. Suddenly, Lugiel goes in for a quick thrust, but Urataros easily countered the attack and whacked him across the face. He stumbles back for a moment as Urataros rushes in and strikes Lugiel in the stomach before quickly following it up with a roundhouse kick across the face once more.

Lugiel goes down on one knee as he starts to breathe heavily. Urataros signed as he pushes his glasses back up against the bridge of his nose and said **, "Well, I see no use in beating up a dead fish. I might as well reel you in already."**

As Urataros holds his rod in a spear position, Lugiel slowly looks up as his calm green eyes are replace with a burning blue. Suddenly, the flames on Lugiel's body rise as he gets back up and charges straight for Urataros. Unable to react in time, Urataros was grabbed by Lugiel before being powerbombed into the ground, creating a large crack in the arena.

"And there he goes! Mr. Orga has performed a power bomb technique onto Mr. Akarui!" Professor Port exclaimed.

"Indeed! Mr. Akarui should be glad to have his aura to protect him. Without it, Mr. Orga's increased strength would kill an auraless man in an instant! But overuse of his abilities will cause his speed to significantly decrease along with causing him to become more… agitated." Doctor Oobleck said nervously.

Lugiel breathes heavily as he looks at Urataros and picks him up by our jacket with one hand. From there, he proceeded to slam us into the ground repeatedly! I could feel our aura slowly dropping as the aura level on the screen dropped from green to yellow. Fearing for Urataros' safety, I said to Urataros in a worried tone, 'Urataros, you have to leave my body. I'll take the hits.'

As Urataros get slammed into the ground one last time, he muttered to me **, "Don't worry. My time was up anyway."**

And with that, I felt Urataros leave my body. I soon felt the aching pain running throughout my body as Lugiel slams me into the ground once more. The sound of the roaring crowd grows soft to my ears as I stared at Lugiel's raging blue eyes. This is not the end. You're not gonna take me down this easily. I. Can't. Lose! Then suddenly, I felt a familiar aura enter inside my body, giving me this boost in energy.

As Lugiel picked us up one last time, I wrapped my legs and left arm around his arm and struck him right in the eyes, causing him to scream in pain and dropping us back down. I slowly close my eyes before opening them back up again as I realize that I'm back in the void again, which is colored purple now. I smiled softly and said, 'Hey, Ryutaros...'

" **Hehe. Hey, Kurokuu! Sorry I took a while, but I'll take it from here! I wanna take him down!"** Ryutaros said as he kicked up and landed back on his feet. Lugiel rubbed his eyes furiously before slowly opening them back up, revealing red veins in the scleras of his eyes. He growled angrily as Ryutaros points at him and said **, "Mind if I defeat you? I can't hear you!"**

Lugiel shouted loudly in an animalistic tone as he charges towards Ryutaros. His arms were wide as he tried to grab Ryutaros like what he did with Urataros. But instead of being caught in his arms, Ryutaros ducks down and extends his right arm out to latch onto Lugiel. He then uses the force going against him to swing himself up onto Lugiel's back. From there, Ryutaros proceeded to strike at Lugiel's temporal bone, causing immense amount of pain. This caused Lugiel to stop what he was doing as he grabbed Ryutaros by the hood and tossed him off of him.

Luckily, Ryutaros quickly lands on his two feet as he summons the Ryuvolver and fires multiple blasts at him. Lugiel simply charges through the blast, taking in some of the hits before grabbing Ryutaros by the jacket. But Ryutaros quickly counters as he smacked Lugiel at the temporal bone once more, causing him to drop Ryutaros again. Lugiel looked like he was in a state of disorientation as Ryutaros grinned eagerly at his opportunity.

He pointed the barrel of his gun directly at Lugiel as he slowly charges the shot. The ball of energy slowly gets bigger and bigger at the end of the barrel as Ryutaros said **, "Bye!"**

And with that, Ryutaros pulls the trigger, releasing the large ball of energy towards Lugiel. The energy blast made contact with Lugiel, causing an explosion to occur and send him flying across the arena. The crowd goes wild as Professor Port shouted, "AND JUST LIKE THAT, KUROKUU AKARUI HAS ELIMINATED LUGIEL ORGA OF TEAM NOAH!"

Ryutaros looked at the crowd as he shouted **, "ALRIGHT, WE DID IT, KUROKUU!"** But the premature victory was cut short as the crowd gasps loudly. Mai is seen falling from the building with Shuichi not far behind. He quickly latches onto Mai before retracing back into the middle of the arena, where the were before their fight with Regulus and Mikoto. Ryutaros quickly rushes towards Mai and Shuichi and asks **, "What's going on?"**

"Them." Shuichi said as he looks at Regulus and Mikoto on the building rooftops. They stared down at us before quickly disappearing.

"We were doing really well against their leader until Mikoto came in and helped. We were on equal grounds until I was kicked off the rooftop and Shuichi had to go save me." Mai explained.

"And judging from them disappearing, I'm assuming that they're taking the fight to us." Shuichi said as he looks at the screen to check Team NOAH's current status. He smirked at Ryutaros and said, "Nice job on taking the two guys out. Didn't think that you had it in you."

" **Shut up!/** Shut up!' Ryutaros and I said in unison as Regulus and Mikoto appeared back on the arena floor.

They stood far away from us as Regulus said, "And to think that you guys wouldn't be a challenge. Oh, how wrong I was." He then looked over to me and Ryutaros and said, "And you. I knew I should've been worrying about you ever since the beginning of the match. The unknown factor in this fight is the most dangerous one. And now, it's time to take you out." And with that, Regulus pulled apart his bow into dual swords and charged straight at us with Mikoto not far behind.

Regulus immediately goes for me and Ryutaros as he goes in for a downward strike, but Ryutaros quickly dodges out of the way. He quickly brings the barrel of his gun up to Regulus, but he kicks the barrel out of the way and slashes him across the chest. This caused Ryutaros to stumble back as Regulus swings his swords left and right, slashing Ryutaros all across the body. Luckily, Regulus' assault stopped as Shuichi and Mai fired their arrows at him, causing him to shift his attention on them and deflect the two arrows.

Then, Mikoto came in and attacked Shuichi. Mai was ready to go help Shuichi until he shouted, "Don't worry about me, help Kurokuu and Ryutaros!"

Mai nodded before focusing her attention back on Regulus. She grabbed an arrow from her quiver as she fired at Regulus, who quickly deflects it. "You think some arrows are gonna stop me?" Regulus said as the arrow started beeping loudly.

Suddenly, a large puff of smoke covered Regulus as Mai rushed towards us and said, "Here's the plan. His semblance grants him great reflexes along with increased accuracy. I need you to keep him busy with your gun while I try to go in and hit him with my semblance, got it?"

" **Hai!"** Ryutaros said as he picked up the Ryuvolver off the ground and pointed it at the smoke. As the smoke slowly clear, Regulus rushes out of the smoke and fired off some arrows at us. However, Ryutaros and Mai both rolled out of the way before firing back. This in turn caused Regulus to deflect the blasts and arrows, just like what Mai planned.

Mai looked at Ryutaros and gave him a quick nod as she stops firing and rushes in towards Regulus. He sees Mai rushing towards him as he tries to defend himself from her, but this led to Regulus losing his focus and getting hit by Ryutaros' blasts. Regulus stumbles around for a brief moment, but that's all what Mai needed as she hits him with a slowdown.

Regulus starts experiencing the slowdown effect as he slowly falls backwards. With this opportunity opened up to us, Mai pulls out her explosive arrow and points it at Regulus. But the moment Mai fired it, Mikoto was clashing with Shuichi before he pushes him aside and shouts, "NO!" He then holds his sword in a spear position and tosses it, causing the arrow to ricochet off the sword and towards me and Ryutaros.

The arrow hit the ground in front of us as Mai rushed towards us and shouted, "Get down!" She then pushed us out of the way as Mai took the full force of the explosive arrow, knocking her out cold.

"Ooh! And there goes Team MSKD's leader, Mai, as she sacrificed herself to save her teammate." Professor Port comentated.

Soon, the slowdown effect stopped as Regulus fell on his back. He looked around for a moment before grabbing Mikoto's sword and tossing it to him. Mikoto catches his weapon and slashes Shuichi across the belly before kicking him away. As Shuichi stumbled back, Regulus fired off some arrows at him, but Shuichi deflects most of the shot except for one.

An arrow pierced Shuichi's side as he shouted in pain and fell on one knee, which allowed Regulus and Mikoto to regroup. 'Ryutaros, you gotta go help him!' I cried out to him.

Shuichi sighed softly before rushing to Shuichi's aid. He crouched down to him and asked nonchalantly **, "Oh, do you need help?"**

"I can handle it." Shuichi said as he yanked the arrow out of him.

As Shuichi slowly got back up on his feet with the help of his sword, Mikoto looked at his leader and asked, "What do we do now? We can't keep this up for much longer!"

Regulus was in deep thought before replying, "Use your semblance."

"What? Do you think that's a good idea?! It's gonna affect everyone! There has to be another way!" Mikoto said with disbelief.

"No. This is all we have left. We can't risk the unknown factor from changing the tides of the match. We already have counter measures for everyone except him. We have to remove him first before Shuichi. " Regulus explained.

Mikoto looks at his hands before sighing stressfully. "Alright. I'll do it."

Shuichi was still leaning on his sword as Ryutaros looked at him and said **, "I can't believe I'm stuck with you."**

Shuichi sighed stressfully and said, "Same can be said about you, but now is not the time. We need to work together, whether you like it or not. Got it?" Ryutaros remained silent as he holds up the barrel of his gun. Shuichi slowly stood up straight and said, "You go for the girl while I deal with the leader."

Ryutaros nodded as they focus back onto Regulus and Mikoto. They draw their weapons out as we await for their next move. The crowd grew deadly silent until Ryutaros fired off the first blast at Mikoto. But Regulus quickly moved in front of his teammate and sliced through the blast, causing it to split in half and deviate from the target before exploding.

Shuichi then charged towards Regulus with Ryutaros not far behind as Regulus shouts, "DO IT NOW!"

Mikoto nodded as he goes down on one knee and places his hand on the ground. Then, electric pulses appear around his body as he looked up at us and release some sort of wave that hit everyone in the colosseum. The wave forced Ryutaros out of my body and knock me and Shuichi back.

I slowly felt the pain that Ryutaros and Urataros took before catch up to me as I slowly got back up on my feet. I looked over to Shuichi as he got up on his own and asked, "What the hell just happened?"

"I don't know. All I know is that the blast knocked Ryutaros out of me." I informed.

That was when Regulus decided to join in on our conversation and said, "We performed our contingency plan. In case of situations like these where removing you of your semblances is necessary."

My eyes widen with shock as we stare at him and disbelief. "Removing our semblances?"

"Yeah. That's what my semblance does." Mikoto said as he got back up on his feet. "Think of it as an EMP for semblances. Although, the time it takes for my semblance to wear off is unspecified."

"Regardless, it's more than enough to take you down." Regulus said as he rushes straight at me. Shuichi quickly reacted by getting in front of me to protect me. However, Regulus didn't use his swords as he simply kicked Shuichi, causing him to fall on top of me. Then, Mikoto rushed towards Regulus and used his shoulder as a boost to jump up over me and Shuichi. He then lands behind me and tries to stab us, but we both rolled away in time and quickly got back up.

Shuichi and I stand back to back as we watch the enemy in front of us. They begin to circle us like a hungry pack of wolves as Mikoto goes in for the strike. I pushed Shuichi away from me as I duck under the sword strike and tried to sweep kick him, but he easily stepped back and roundhouse kicked me in the face. I slowly got back up and blocked the left hook, but Mikoto countered and whacked me in the nose with the end of his sword. I stumbled back for a bit as Mikoto took advantage of this and slashed me across the chest before back kicking me in the stomach, knocking me flat on the ground.

I heard the bell go off as Professor Port said, "Ooh, and there goes Kurokuu Akarui as he was eliminated by Mikoto Hoshizora."

"And now, it's all down to Mr. Nakamura as he has to stand his ground against Mr. Naga and Mr. Hoshizora." Doctor Oobleck said.

As the fight continues, with Shuichi being the last one standing, I stared at the ceiling of the Colosseum with anger and disappointment running through my head. Come on, Kurokuu. You were so close. You almost had it. I guess I was never any good, was I? Soon, I felt the fatigue taking over as I couldn't keep my eyes opened for much longer.

* * *

?

Suddenly, I opened my eyes back up as I was in a white void once more. I looked around the void until a voice called out **, 'Oi, oi, Kurokuu! Are you really gonna give up now?!'**

I sighed softly as I turned around and see Momotaros appeared in front of me. "What can even I do, Momotaros? I'm eliminated from the match. And, I don't think I can keep going even if I wanted to." I replied.

Momotaros growled with frustration as he walked up to me and grabbed me by my jacket. " **Did you really forget what Ice Queen said to you before the match?!"**

I stopped at that moment and recalled the interaction I had with Weiss. "It's not just me out there, my friends are out there too." I muttered.

" **That's right, you idiot! The entire match, we stuck by you because they have hope in you! That's why Odebu and Mai took the hits for you! Are you gonna let their sacrifice be a waste?!"**

I soon felt my heart being reignited as I said, "No. I'm not."

" **What?! I can't hear you! Are you gonna let their sacrifice be a waste?!"**

Mustering all the strength I have left, I slowly got back up on my feet and shouted, "NO! I'M NOT GONNA LET THEIR SACRIFICE BE IN VAIN! I'LL KEEP FIGHTING UNTIL WE WIN!"

" **That's what I like to hear!"** Momotaros said confidently as he punched me lightly where my heart is. " **Besides, we're just now at climax."**

* * *

My eyes shot opened as the sound of the crowd became clearer. I slowly lift my head up to see Shuichi barely keeping up with Regulus and Mikoto. Regulus is seen swinging his sword left and right, trying to keep Shuichi on his toes. Then, Mikoto rushes in and attempts to strike Shuichi from behind, but Shuichi kicked Regulus away in order to counter the incoming attack. This left Mikoto briefly opened as Shuichi slashes Mikoto across his torso, but Regulus quickly retaliated and slashed Shuichi across the back.

Shuichi cried out in pain as he fell on his knees. But, Shuichi manages to catch himself with his sword as he begins to lean on it, trying his best to stand up. I saw the struggle in Shuichi's eyes as he picks the sword back up and prepares himself for the worst. With new-found energy and motivation within me, I clenched my teeth tight as I slowly got back up onto my knees. The pain within me slowly went away as I looked at my hands and saw that my white aura changed into red. The reactions of the crowd started with shock as it soon changed into excitement.

The crowd started roaring as Professor Port said, "I… I can't believe this! Kurokuu Akarui is awake!"

Shuichi looked at me in shock and confusion as he muttered, "Kurokuu?"

"This is a first, folks. Everyone look at the screen!" Regulus and Mikoto stopped their assault on Shuichi as they look over to the screen. On the screen, it displayed my aura levels as it jumped from red zone to yellow again. "There seems to be a jump in Mr. Akarui's aura levels! And since there's no rules stating that a fighter can re-enter the match due to aura recovery, Mr. Akarui is still eligible to compete!"

Regulus and Mikoto then turned to me with shock in their eyes as Regulus said, "What? How?! How are you still able to keep going? Your semblance shouldn't be working!"

As I slowly got back up on my feet, I felt electricity pulsing around me as my hair slowly started standing up. "Well, I'll tell you two things. One, this isn't my semblance. And two, I'm never alone." I gave them one last smirk and said, "I'll let him take over for now." And with that, I closed my eyes and allowed Momotaros to take control.

He slowly opened his eyes, revealing his signature red color, as he rolled his shoulder and performed his signature pose. " **ORE SANJOU!"** Momotaros shouted as the crowd went wild. Momotaros summoned his sword before pointing the tip of the blade at them. " **Alright, you two. You may have kicked our asses. But from here on out, this is the climax!"** Regulus and Mikoto raised their weapons and charged straight at him.

Momotaros charged straight at them as well as he parries Regulus' horizontal strike and slashes him across the torso before parrying Mikoto's downward strike and slashing him down the left side of the torso. Mikoto quickly turns around and goes in for a thrust, but Momotaros kicks the sword out of the way before kicking him into Regulus. They both fall down, but they quickly got back up and charged at Momotaros at the same time once more. They both go in for a downward strike, but Momotaros manages to block the attack. However, this put Momotaros in a pinned position as Regulus and Mikoto try to overpower him. He struggles to go against them as they force him to take a knee. But Momotaros isn't one to give up easily as he slowly stands back up. Soon, Momotaros stood tall as he pushes their blade upward and slashes both Regulus and Mikoto across the torso, severely crippling them.

Regulus and Mikoto fall back on the ground, unable to get up, as Momotaros twirled his sword around and said **, "Hehe. Good thing that the last minute workout session gave me an edge in this fight. Now, to finish this."** Momotaros hold his sword up as the blade started glowing bright red. " **This is my hissatsu attack. Part… I don't know. But whatever!"** Then, the blade flew off the hilt of the sword as Momotaros swings the hilt left and right, delivering two dead blows before swing the hilt down. The blade collided with the ground as a large explosion occurred, creating a large smoke on the arena.

The smoke slowly died down as it revealed the unconscious Regulus and Mikoto. The crowd cheered louder than ever as Professor Port declared, "THE MATCH HAS NOW BEEN DECIDED! TEAM MSKD PROCEEDS TO THE DOUBLES ROUND!"

So many emotions ran through my head. First was shock, I couldn't believe it. We actually made it through! Then was proudness, I managed to pull through the fight and win it for the team. And last was thankfulness, I wouldn't be where I am now without my team, friends, Weiss, and most importantly, the Taros.

Momotaros grinned as he said **, "Well, you did good, kid. I'll let you have your moment."** And with that, I felt Momotaros leave my body as I bathe in the cheers of the crowd. I looked over to where Team RWBY was as I see them cheering for my team's victory. I then looked specifically at Weiss as I gave her my best smile and waved at her. She returned the message by waving back at me with her beautiful smile.

I breathed in softly as I felt Shuichi's hands on my shoulder. "Nice job. You and your Imagins managed to pull through." Shuichi congratulated.

I rubbed the back of my head nervously and said, "Thanks, but I wouldn't make it this far without your guys' help too."

Shuichi smirked at me and said, "Well, it's time to return the favor. Let's go get Deneb out of the pit and help Mai up." I nodded in agreement as I followed Shuichi to the edge of the arena.

But as Shuichi made his way down the ladder, I look down at my hands and muttered to myself, "Everyone. Thank you."

* * *

 _As the crowd cheered on, Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury applauded with them as Emerald said, "He's good."_

" _But not that good." Mercury finished. He kicked his feet up on the railing and said, "I could probably kick his ass in one minute flat. These guys are small fries."_

" _Agreed. Kurokuu Akarui won't be much of a problem after we initiate our plan." Cinder said with a malicious smile._

* * *

 _An hour afterwards_

I sit in the infirmary calmly as I wait for Mai and Deneb to be get patched up. Shuichi and I are quite bandaged up ourselves as we have bandages running around our torso, shoulders, and forehead. I inhaled deeply as I slump on the chair and said, "Well, this is gonna hurt for a while."

"Yeah, you're telling me. Getting shot by arrows, slashed multiple times in the chest, and being kicked in the face." Shuichi said as he rubs his temples and jaw.

Then, we heard the door open as we stood up to check who it was. But instead of Mai and Deneb, it was the Team NOAH, all bandaged up just like us. We both stared at each other awkwardly until Regulus cleared his throat and extend his arm out for a hand shake. "Well, congratulations on making it to the double round." Regulus congratulated.

We both shook his hand as I said, "Thank you, but you gave us quite a run for our liens. That was a great match."

"Thank you. We appreciate it." Lugiel said in his normal, calm demeanor. He looked at me with his somber green eyes and said, "Akarui. I just want to apologize for how I acted during the match. My semblance. It…"

I gave him a smile of reassurance and said, "Lugiel, it's fine. I understand. We're all still huntsman in training. We're all still trying to learn and control our semblance."

Lugiel's expression changed into relief as he bowed back at me. Then, Regulus looked at me and said, "You're pretty persistent and stubborn person, aren't you."

I laughed nervously and muttered, "Well…"

Regulus laughed and said, "It's fine. I just wanted to point that out. And besides, that's what I find quite admirable about you. You don't give up even when the odds are stacked against you. And that's something you don't see everyday."

"Why… thank you." I thanked Regulus.

Mikoto stretched his arms out and yawned loudly before saying, "Well, it's been a great match, but we gotta go back to our dorms and rest up for the rest of the festival. It's been great knowing you guys."

"You think we'll see each other again?"

"Of course we are!" Zeno said as he pushed Mikoto aside. He then placed his finger on my chest and declared, "When the next Vytal Festival comes, you bet your ass that we're gonna train and beat you guys next time!"

Shuichi grinned and said, "Sounds like a plan to me. I hope we'll see each other soon."

"Yeah. Soon." Regulus said as he led his team out of the infirmary.

But as they left, Team RWBY came in right after as Ruby shouted, "HEY GUYS!" She zoomed towards me and Shuichi and gave us a big hug.

We both cried out in pain as Shuichi muttered to Ruby, "Ruby... can you let go?"

Ruby quickly lets go of us as she said, "Sorry. I was just really excited after your match. You guys were awesome!"

"Thanks, Rubes." Shuichi said as he messed up her hair, much to her dismay.

Weiss, Yang, and Blake walked up to us as Yang said, "Nice job, guys.

"Thanks." I replied.

Blake looked around the infirmary before asking, "Where's Mai and Deneb?"

"They're still getting patched up." Shuichi answered.

Weiss looked over to me as I asked, "So, how did I do?"

"You could do better." Weiss replied, causing my heart to sink and my head to drop down. "But, you would've done worse if you didn't have your team."

I pick my head back up and said, "Right. Thank you, Weiss. For helping me."

Weiss was about to say something until she looked at something out the window. Ruby seemed to notice Weiss' behavior as she asked, "Uh, what are you viewing?"

I looked out the window along with Ruby as we see an Atlesian airship flying towards the docks of our school. I looked back at Weiss, who had a mixture of joy and anxiousness, as she said, "She's here!"

* * *

(A/N): And there goes Team MSKD as they proceed to the doubles round! And it looks like we'll be meeting a certain other Ice Queen next chapter. I sure hope all things goes well between Kurokuu and the family. With that said, I would like to congratulate and thank Lance Eterna for submitting his OCs. I am truly grateful for you help and I hope I portrayed you characters well. As for the other person who submitted, I apologize for not choosing your oc. After our discussion, I feel like the character should still be yours and not be completely influenced by me. So I hope you would understand.

So as always, leave a review on what you thought about this chapter and I'll see you guys in the next one. Bye!


	24. Chapter 24: The Calm Before the Storm

(A/N): Hey everyone! It's been a long while. Like... a very long while. RWBY Volume 6 is out and it's pretty good so far. Kamen Rider Zi-O is meh from what I've heard. And Super Smash Bros Ultimate is coming out in a few weeks. Anyway, I stop dodging the question and tell it to you guys straight. Excuse me if I have some bad writing right now because I'm writing in like 3 in the morning. I know some of you are wonder where the hell I've been for the past six months. Well, I've just been taking time for myself along with thinking about where this story might go in the future. I took a break because I don't have the amount of passion that I have back then to write this story. I really hate it. I hate my writing my oc because of how bad I was a writing when I first started out. He's inconsistent in his personality. I'm pretty sure you guys can tell. In the beginning, he had this sort of edginess until I decided to change him to be more light-hearted, insecure, and a little bit emotional type. And now at this point in time, I'm just winging it and making the oc go through the story and see how he would react to the situation. But overall, I don't like writing him as much anymore. But at the same time, I have so many ideas for this story and I want to see it come into fruition, which leads me to the next reason. Because I don't feel like writing this story anymore, I want to end this story at some point and create my own/ combine with the Den-O ending rather than wait until the Volume finale. At this point, I feel like I want to either stop writing in general or maybe just writing something else for a change. So, I don't know how you all would feel about ending the series short instead of waiting and prolonging it to the actual RWBY finale. So, writing in the reviews what you think about this. And as for writing new stories... I do have a few ideas but let's just say... I'll keep it under wraps for a bit. Anyways, enough about me! Let's give you something that (hopefully) you've all been waiting for! The new chapter of Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time! As always, leave a review on what you think about this chapter or series as a whole, any good criticism would be great (except for you Doom Marine if you're still out there reading ;-)). Anyways, onward to the story!

I do not own the rights to the series, RWBY or Kamen Rider. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth Production and the Kamen Rider Series is owned by Toei and Shotaro Ishinomori. Please support the official shows!

"Normal Speech"

'Thoughts/Internal communication between OC and Imagin'

 _"Third Person/ Flashback"_

 **"Imagin Speech"**

* * *

 **Kamen Rider Den-O: Remnants of Time**

 **Chapter 24: The Calm Before the Storm**

* * *

Ruby and Weiss ran down the Beacon Courtyard while I lagged behind them due to my injuries. Breathing heavily, I shouted to Weiss, "WEISS! WHAT'S GOING ON?! WHO'S 'SHE'?"

"Yeah, who is it?!" Ruby pressured.

As we arrived at the Bullhead landing pad, we see the Atlesian airship slowly descend and land. Slowly, the cargo door open, revealing a woman in white accompanied by two Atlesian Knights-200, the latest model in Atlas' military technology. Weiss had a smile on her face as she said, "Winter…"

"Winter? You have a sister?!" I asked with a surprised tone.

"Since we did you have a sister?" Ruby asked.

Weiss looked back at me and said, "You don't remember? I told you about her when we first met."

I let my head hang low in shame, realizing that Weiss was right. She sighed softly before rushing to meet her sister. Ruby and I followed her from behind as Weiss said eagerly, "Winter, I'm so happy to see you! Oh…" Suddenly, Weiss regains her composure and did a curstie before continuing, "Your presences honors us."

Not knowing what to do, Ruby and I both bowed down in respect. But as I looked back, I accidentally stared into Winter's eyes; her cold gaze looked into my soul, causing me to look away. Great, this is the last thing I wanted to have happen to me today. Weiss' sister seeing me for the first time! What will Winter think of me? She probably saw my fight, so I must've impressed her, right? Wait, does she know about Momotaros punching her dad in the face?! Oh no, I'm so screwed!

Winter looks around the school as she states, "Beacon... It's been a long time. The air feels... different."

"I mean it is fall, so, eh, it's probably colder." Ruby answered, which caused Weiss to punch her in the arm.

Ruby winced in pain as Weiss asked, "So, what're you doing here?"

"Classified." Winter answered.

"Oh, right. Well, how long are you staying?" Weiss asked again.

"Classified."

Ruby looked around pensively and said, "Well... this is nice... I think."

Excitedly, Weiss says, "You're going to love it here! I know you travel a lot, but so much of Beacon is different from Atlas! Vale, too. The government and school are completely separate! Can you believe it?! I-"

"I'm more than familiar with how this kingdom handles its... bureaucracy. That is not why I came." Winter interrupted.

"Right! I'm sorry!" Weiss apologized.

"Nor did I come here to watch my own blood fail so miserably in battle. But it appears that I have no choice in the matter."

"But, we won!" Weiss said, completely puzzled.

"Only a novice would refer to that as a victory. I counted at least three strikes missed." Winter looks over to her security and commanded, "Leave us." The Atlesian Knights complied and stepped back. Winter sighs softly before smiling a little bit more warmly at Weiss. "How have you been?"

"Oh, splendid! Thank you for asking. I'm actually in the very top ranking of our sparring class! And the rest of my studies are going wonderfully, too! I'm-"

Suddenly, Winter slaps Weiss on the head, leaving a large bump on her head. "Silence, you boob! I don't recall asking about your ranking, I'm asking how you've been. Are you eating properly? Have you taken up any hobbies?" She then looked at me and Ruby as she said, "...Are you making new friends?"

"Well, there's Ruby." Weiss said as she gestures to her.

Ruby giggles as she pushes the bump back into Weiss' head. "Heh, boob." She muttered.

Then, Weiss looked over to me with fondness in her eyes as she grabbed my arm and placed me in front of Winter. "And this is my other… friend, Kurokuu." Weiss said. I looked at Winter nervously as I weakly waved at her.

Winter looked back and forth between me and Ruby with her cold gaze. She then stopped at Ruby, causing me to sigh in relief, as she said, "So this is the leader you wrote of. How appropriately... underwhelming."

Not knowing how to react, Ruby responded, "Uh… thank you?"

"Greetings, Ruby Rose. I wish to thank you for taking an interest in my sister."

"Oh! Uh, yes, of course! The honor is in my court!" Ruby said as she saluted at Winter before curtseying.

Winter then faced me as she said, "And you. Kurokuu Akarui, age 18 and the Singular Point of this era."

"Hehe… You know everything about me. That's nice to know." I said nervously.

"Well, it is my duty to be informed of these things." Winter took one step forward, making her much more intimidating up close. "My sister has spoken well of you, but same can't be said from my father." I swallowed the lump in my throat as I remember the first time I met Weiss' father. Yep, she knows about that. I guess punching her dad in the face wasn't the best first impression to make, then again it was Momotaros that did that. "But despite what my father thinks, I'll have to see it myself and so far, you're not impressing me." She then extend her hand out and said, "But it's nice to meet you, Kurokuu Akarui."

I looked at Winter cautiously before looking back at Weiss, who gestures me to accept it. I slowly extend my hand out and accept the handshake. "It's nice to meet you too, Miss. Schnee."

She nods her head before breaking up the handshake. Winter looked over to Weiss and said, " I have business with the General and your Headmaster. But seeing as I'm early, why don't you take me to your quarters?"

"Really?" Weiss asked.

"Yes. I wish to inspect them and make sure that they are up to my personal standards." Winter then looked back at me and said, "Why don't you come along with us? We can learn more about each other."

I looked back at Ruby, who replied back with a shrug, before looking back at Winter and said, "Um… sure?"

Winter nodded as she and Weiss, along with the six other Atlesian Knights, walked towards the academy. Ruby and I watched them as she said, "Huh. Well, I think you made a pretty good impression, Kurokuu. I mean, she wants to know about you more."

"I don't know. Something about her…" I muttered. She seems way too eager to get to know me. Does she know something about me? Then again, she knows who I am, what else does she need to know? I took a deep breath before taking my first step to whatever's gonna happen between me and Winter until a man with familiar red eyes bumped into me. The scent of reeking alcohol filled my nostrils as I looked up and saw him stumbling towards Weiss and Winter. Wait, that cloak. The weapon on his back. His red eyes. Is that who I think it is?

The red-eyed man walked up towards the two Atlesian knights and decapitates the first one before kicking the head off the second one towards Winter and Weiss. "Hey!" The red-eyed man shouted to Winter and Weiss. "Yeah, I'm talking to you, Ice Queen!"

One of the other knights points it's rifle up to fire, but Winter ordered, "Halt." This caused the robot to stand down as people started to gather around.

Weiss and I both looked at each other as Weiss said, "It's you. You're Ruby's uncle…"

"Qrow?" I muttered under my breath. This is Qrow now? What happened to him? He looked like he went through hell since we last saw him. And the scent of alcohol on him. Oum, it reeks!

Weiss walked in front of her sister to stand her ground and said, "Mr. Branwen, do you have any idea who you're talking to?!"

Winter had a surprised expression on her face as she asked, "Weiss, do you know this drunk buffoon?"

Weiss was about to reply to her sister until Qrow placed his hand on her face and slurred, "Ssssshhhhh. Not you." He then pushed Weiss aside as he made his way towards Winter.

Worried about what might happen, I rushed over to Weiss and help her up. Weiss looked at me and asked, "Is that really Ruby's uncle?"

"I'm sure that's him. But the question now is, why he's here?" I said to Weiss as we watch the scene play out.

"You. Saw that gaudy ship of yours in town. I guess you're here too." Qrow said.

"I'm standing right before you." Winter proclaimed.

Qrow squints at Winter before replying, "So it would seem."

"You realize you just destroyed Atlas Military property."

Qrow looks at the two Atlesian Knights he destroyed before apologizing sarcastically, "Oh, oh I'm sorry. See, I mistook this for some sort of... sentient garbage."

Winter walks over to face Qrow as she said, "I don't have time for your immature games, Qrow."

This took Weiss and I off guard as Weiss asked her sister, "Wait, you two know each other?"

"Geez, you Atlas Specialists think you're so special, don't you?" Qrow asked.

"It's in the title." Winter replied.

"Well, you know what you really are? A bunch of sellouts. Just like your boss."

"I'm not sure what you think you're implying, but I've heard enough."

"Oh I heard, too. I heard ol' Ironwood finally turned his back on Ozpin."

"Ozpin?" Weiss joined in on the conversation.

Winter extended her arm out to us and said, "You two, time for you guys to go."

Qrow looked at me and Weiss and said, "Why leave? Besides, I think Atlas Military could use some help from kids to deal with their Imagin issue rather than themselves."

Winter grits her teeth as she reaches for her saber and said, "If you won't hold your tongue…" She then draws her sword out and points it at Qrow. "...then I'll gladly remove it for you!"

"Alright then…" Qrow slicks his hair back and said confidently, "Come take it."

The square cleared before Winter charges straight for Qrow, starting the fight. Winter goes in for a thrust strike at Qrow's head, but he quickly moves his head to the left to avoid the strike. She then began swing left and right around, trying to hit the evasive crow, but he kept on dodging every attack. Then, Winter went in for a horizontal slash, but Qrow bows down to dodge the next strike.

With anger growing in her eyes, she strikes firsts and attacks Qrow. He dodges the blade a few times before he bowed downward, allowing her sword to hit his weapon. He smirked at this opportunity as he grabbed the handle of Harbinger, causing the blade of the weapon to extend outwards. He then maneuvered Winter's saber away from him while drawing it out. He smirks confidently as Winter stood in position.

Their blades tapped against each other a few times before Qrow initiated the attack first. Qrow swings his sword downward towards Winter's saber, trapping it on the ground before slashing upwards. Luckily, Winter hopped back as Qrow began advancing towards her with his barrage of strikes. As Winter backflips away from her, Qrow goes in for a horizontal strike from the right, to which Winter responded by blocking the attack.

From there, Qrow and Winter were on par with each other as they block and deflects each other's attack. The crowd around them grew bigger and bigger as me and Weiss watch them duke it out. "He's good. Really good." I said to Weiss.

Weiss looked offended by my comment as she said, "No, he isn't. My sister is better. She'll win."

Then, I heard someone approach us as we turned around and saw Ruby. She looked at the fight as she asked, "What's going on?!"

"Your crazy drunk uncle appeared out of nowhere and attacked my sister!" Weiss answered furiously.

"My uncle? He's here?!" Ruby asked excitedly. She looked back at the fight and shouted, "KICK HER BUTT, UNCLE QROW!"

Weiss was taken back by Ruby's response until she decided to chime in and shouted, "Teach her some manners, Winter!"

* * *

 _Meanwhile on the Den-Liner, the Taros all watch the fight play out between Qrow and Winter as they decide on who they want to root for. Momotaros and Ryutaros all cheered for Qrow Branwen as Momotaros shouted_ _ **, "Yeah! Go you drunken bird! Knock that uptight ice queen down a peg or two!"**_

" _ **Yeah! Go get her! He's so cool!"**_ _Ryutaros cheered as he bounces around Momotaros._

 _But, Urataros isn't keen on letting Qrow win as he cheered on for Winter Schnee._ " _ **Go my beautiful snow angel! Show Momo-chan and Ryu-chan who really is the winner!"**_

" _ **Huh? You like that ice queen more than the real badass?"**_ _Momotaros asked._

 _Urataros picked up his cup of tea off the plate before answering_ _ **, "Of course, her beauty is just so…. stunning. Right, Kin-chan?"**_ _Urataros looked over to Kintaros as he sat in his chair with his legs folded up. He awaited for Kintaros response, which was a loud snore._

 _Urataros sighed softly as Ryutaros rushed towards him and said_ _ **, "Kame-chan, I don't know what you see in her, but I think that the other Tori-chan is much cooler."**_

" _ **Tori? You mean that drunk bastard?"**_ _Momotaros asked._

" _ **Yep! I hope I get to fight him soon!"**_ _Ryutaros said excitedly, much to everyone's dismay, as he sat back down and watched the fight._

* * *

 _Meanwhile in the infirmary, Shuichi and the rest of Team (R)(W)BY all surround Mai and Deneb to check on their condition. Blake sat down on a chair next to Mai and asked, "So, how are you two? Feeling better?"_

 _Mai smiles at Blake's kindness as she replied, "Yeah, I'm fine. It's gonna take more than an explosive arrow to take me down."_

 _Deneb nodded in response and said_ _ **, "Indeed, but I still can't believe that I was the first to be eliminated. I should've been more careful."**_

 _Shuichi joins in on the conversation and said, "Deneb, there's no point in moping about it. Even though you got eliminated, you managed to save Kurokuu and help lead him to victory."_

" _And I gotta say, Kurokuu and the Taros really kicked ass today." Yang said confidently. "I mean, they managed to take out the entire team!"_

" _Yes, but Kurokuu and the others did get eliminated in the progress. It was only due to special and lucky circumstances that Momotaros' aura managed to bring Kurokuu out of elimination." Blake rebutted._

" _Agreed. Since this instance was the first to occur, Ozpin and the other headmasters might change the rules for next year's Vytal Festival. So, Kurokuu won't be so lucky when the next Vytal Festival comes around." Shuichi explained._

 _Deneb then looked around the room and asked_ _ **, "Speaking of Kurokuu, where is he?"**_

" _Oh, Kurokuu went with Ruby and Weiss. Weiss mentioned about someone coming or something." Yang answered._

" _Did Weiss say who it was?" Mai asked._

" _No. All she said was 'she's here' and left with Ruby and Kurokuu tagging along." Blake reminisce._

" _Do you know where they went?"_

 _Shuichi then looked outside the window while answering, "They're probably outside at the Courtyard so that they could meet whoever Weiss was meeting." But as he looked around outside, he sees a large crowd gathering around to what seems to be a fight. Shuichi peers through the crowd, trying to see who the two people are, until he recognizes a familiar face from the past. His eyes were wide as plates as he muttered, "Qrow?"_

 _Everyone wondered what Shuichi just muttered except for Yang, who managed to hear what he said. "Wait, Qrow? My uncle Qrow?! He's here?"_

 _Shuichi quickly turns towards Yang, who had a shocked expression on her face as she approaches him and asks, "You know who Qrow is? How do you know him?!" Shuichi then gazes back towards the window to see Qrow again before quickly running out, much to Yang's dismay. "HEY WAIT! WE'RE NOT DONE TALKING!" The revelation of Shuichi's and Qrow's relation caused thousands of questions to appear in Yang's mind. Questions that need answering. And she was damn sure that she's gonna get her answers from Shuichi._

 _With determination in her eyes, Yang ran out the room to catch up with Shuichi, leaving Blake, Mai, and Deneb behind. An awkward silence filled the air as Blake and Mai looked towards Deneb for answers. He laughs nervously as he hides under the sheets of his bed and said_ _ **, "Um… family drama, am I right?"**_

* * *

The fight raged on as Qrow was following Winter, who was running along the structure of the courtyard. Qrow pointed his sword at Winter as the blade bent downward, revealing a barrel of a shotgun, as he proceeded to fire at her. Luckily, Winter manages to outrun Qrow's shots. To get a better view of Winter, Qrow jumped up onto the entrance structure of the courtyard and fired at her once more.

This time, however, Qrow managed to land a shot on her, but there wasn't any cry of pain or of some sorts. Instead, out from the cloud of smoke, Winter jumped out with two swords in her hands and charged straight from Qrow. Qrow quickly flicked the blade of his sword back up as he braced for the impact of Winter's attack.

Both Winter and Qrow crashed back onto Beacon grounds, leaving a large crater behind, as they continue with their assault on each other. But soon, their clash would briefly end as Winter delivered a powerful attack on Qrow, launching him back a few feet. However, Qrow managed to stick his sword in the ground to keep his feet planted before pulling the sword back out again.

The crowd seemed to go wild as they started cheering for the fight. Both Qrow and Winter take a quick breather until Winter was first to take the initiative. Winter pointed her sword at Qrow before sticking it into the ground, causing a glyph to appear underneath her feet. I watched carefully as birds and feathers slowly started appearing. My eyes widen at this moment. Her glyph can create life? How is that possible? Could Weiss do that? I've never seen her do anything like that. I looked over to Weiss as she was entranced at her sister's ability like I was.

Once a flock of birds was formed, she sent the birds to attack Qrow, causing him to back down temporarily. Key word being "temporarily" as Qrow swings his sword with such force that it created a gust of wind that caused Winter to back up and dodge the attack, causing the birds to disappear. So, it looks like summoning life would require great concentration.

Qrow smirked at Winter as her expression grew more angrier by the second. Soon, she summoned a glyph behind, which she would use to most likely launch herself towards Qrow. Qrow stared at Winter as he clicked a button on the grip of his sword, causing the gears in Harbinger to start turning. Soon the blade on his sword started to split apart as it began take shape of a crescent blade, just like ruby's scythe.

Then, just as the blade was about to be transformed, someone in the crowd shouted, "QROW!"

Qrow immediately stopped what he was doing and pressed the button again, causing the blade to come back together, much to crowd's dismay. I peered into the crowd as I saw Shuichi and Yang. Ruby and Weiss also seemed to notice them as Ruby shouted, "Hey guys! Why did you stop the fight?!"

Qrow then faced towards us with a shocked expression in his eyes. I looked at both Shuichi and Qrow, trying to connect the dots between the two. Do they know each other? Wait, Shuichi did come from the past! He even mentioned that he knew Ruby's mom when he first arrived. Just what is the connection between him, Qrow, and Ruby's mom?

"SCHNEE!" I heard someone else shout now. My trail of thoughts were soon cut off as the crowd where Shuichi and Yang are began to separate as someone, wearing the same style of clothing as Winter, walked through them along with four AK-200s and Penny?

Winter turned towards the man and immediately regain her composure and addresses, "General Ironwood, sir!"

"What in the world do you think you're doing?" The man, now known as General Ironwood, questioned.

Winter was quick to point fingers as she quickly replied, "He started the altercation, sir!"

But Qrow was quick to counter as he said, "That's actually not true. She attacked first."

General Ironwood looked over to his subordinate and asked, "Is that right?" All that Winter could do was look down and remain silent, realizing that Qrow was right. Then, General Ironwood looked over to Qrow and addressed, "And you. What are you doing here?"

"I could be asking you the same thing." Qrow shot back.

But just before General Ironwood could say anything, Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch appeared and diffused it. "Now, now, everyone. There is a sanctioned fight happening just around the corner at the Colosseum, that I can assure you has better seats... and popcorn."

"Break it up, everyone! We will take care of this mess." Professor Goodwitch said while glaring at Qrow, Winter, and General Ironwood.

As Professor Goodwitch began repairing the courtyard, General Ironwood straightens his tie before looking over to Winter and says, "Let's go." And with that, General Ironwood and Winter make their leave. Well, so much for a dorm tour.

But as General Ironwood and Winter walk away, we see Penny turning towards us and giving us a quick wave before leaving. Ruby, Weiss, and I waved back at her before Ruby ran towards her uncle and shouted, "UNCLE QROW!" She jumped and latched onto his arm as Qrow lifted her up, causing Ruby to hang onto him. "Hi! It's so good to see you! Did you miss me? Did you miss me!?"

Qrow grinned at her niece before replying, "Nope."

As Qrow runs his hand through Ruby's hair, Yang and Shuichi approaches him, causing Qrow to lock eyes with Shuichi. He slowly stopped whatever he's doing, including holding Ruby up, and proceeded to walk towards Yang and Shuichi. Yang puts on her best smile and said, "Hey Uncle Qrow, it's been awhile!"

"It's good to see you to Yang. You've been taking care of Ruby, right?" Qrow asked her other niece.

"Of course!" Yang replied.

"Good. Good…" Qrow muttered before shifting his attention towards Shuichi. "Shuichi… is that really…?"

Shuichi sighed softly and replied, "Yeah, it's me. It's been a while, and you look like you went through a lot."

Qrow chuckled and said, "Well, a lot can happen in twenty years." Soon, silence took over the conversation as they both stared at each other intensely.

"Mr. Branwen, I can imagine that you have quite a lot of questions that need answering." Professor Ozpin cuts in.

Qrow looks over to Professor Ozpin and said, "You got that right. Whatever happened to no secrets between us?"

"Mr. Nakamura came in… abruptly." Professor Ozpin described. "I was going to tell you today since I wanted you to be focus on what you had at hand." He pauses for a moment to take a quick swig of coffee. "For now, we can discuss the matters between you two after our little talk?" Shuichi and Qrow looked at each other before nodding in unison. "Excellent. Come with me."

Professor Ozpin proceeded to walk to his office with Shuichi following from behind. Qrow looked at both Ruby and Yang and said, "Well, it's been nice seeing you two again. I hope we can catch up later?"

"Sounds good, Uncle Qrow." Ruby said softly before giving him a hug.

Qrow accepts her hug as he looked up at me and said, "Hey, you. Good job on taking care of my nieces."

I rubbed my head nervously and said, "Well, friends always look out for each other, you know?"

"Heh, right." Qrow said as Ruby lets go, allowing him to regroup with Shuichi and Ozpin.

Weiss and I stood alongside Ruby and Yang as I said, "It looks like Shuichi and Qrow know each other. But how?"

"That's what I want to know too." Yang puts her hand on her chin as she pondered out loud, "First Summer and now him…? Just what is their connection?"

"We could ask Shuichi later when he's done talking to Professor Ozpin." Ruby suggested.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." Yang said.

I looked over to Weiss, who looked rather crestfallen about something. I focused on what Weiss was looking at until I realized that she was looking at her sister. She's probably upset about not being able to talk to her more, which is completely understandable since her sister is always gone off doing work.

I sighed softly as I knew what I had to do to cheer her up. Man, I'm gonna regret this decision. "Weiss, after your sister is done with her meeting, why don't we go visit her and finish catching up?"

Weiss immediately smiled once again and said, "That sounds like a great idea."

* * *

 _The sun is slowly starting to set as the fairgrounds of the Vytal Festival lit up the sky. But as the world down below is all but peaceful, the same can't be said for the individuals inside Professor Ozpin's office. Winter paces back and forth impatiently while General Ironwood waiting for their arrival with a briefcase in his hand._

 _Then, the sound of the elevator caught their attention as the door opens and reveals Shuichi, Qrow, Professor Ozpin, and Professor Goodwitch._

 _The sight of Qrow made Winter furious as she shouts at him, "What were you thinking!?"_

" _If you were one of my men, I would have you shot!" General Ironwood scolded._

 _But Qrow wasn't fazed by his words as he said while pulling out a flask, "If I was one of your men, I'd shoot myself."_

" _Yeah, maybe if you discipline your soldiers better, then this would've never happened now would it?" Shuichi said while glaring at Ironwood._

 _General Ironwood didn't take very kindly to Shuichi's words as he marched towards him and said, "Don't you go telling me how I discipline my soldiers!"_

" _Enough everyone! While I do not condone Mr. Branwen's behavior, attacking him certainly didn't help the situation either!" Professor Goodwitch said._

" _He's drunk!" Winter retorted._

" _He's always drunk!"_

 _Professor Ozpin, Professor Goodwitch, General Ironwood, and Winter Schnee all look up in unison as they see Qrow drinking the contents in his flask. Shuichi looked over to Qrow and elbowed him in the side, causing him to pull the flask away from his mouth and focus his attention back to Ozpin and the others._

 _Ozpin sighs softly before sitting back down and asking, "Before we answers your questions, we would like to ask-"_

" _What the hell happened?!" General Ironwood interrupted. "You've been out of contact for weeks! You can't just go dark like that in the field!"_

" _I'm not one of your special operatives, Jimmy!" Qrow shouted._

" _General." Winter corrected._

" _Whatever. You sent me to get intel on our enemy, and I'm telling you, our enemy is here."_

 _Ironwood leans against the table as he said, "We know."_

" _Oh! Oh, you know! Well, thank goodness I'm out there risking my life to keep you all informed!" Qrow shouted with an irritated look on his face._

 _Ironwood sighs softly and said, "Qrow-"_

" _Communication's a two-way street, pal." Qrow interrupted. He then pulled out his scroll and said, "You see this?! That's the SEND button!"_

" _They had reason to assume you'd been compromised." Winter informed._

" _And I have reason to assume you don't need to be here." Qrow spat back. "Seriously, who invited her?"_

 _A brief moment of silence passed as Ironwood said to Winter, "Schnee, we'll discuss this incident back at my ship."_

 _Winter was surprised by his action and questioned, "But sir!_

" _Winter. Leave." Ironwood commanded._

 _Winter looks at her superior one last time before saluting to him and saying, "Yes sir." She then began to walk away as Qrow gave her one last wink before she entered the elevator and disappeared from our line of sight._

 _Soon the conversation began to pick back up as Qrow said, "Your little infiltrator isn't just another pawn. They're the one responsible for Autumn's condition."_

 _Everyone looked shocked as Shuichi questioned, "The Fall Maiden? Then that means…"_

" _Yeah, she's here to come and finish the job." Qrow declared. "Despite what the world thinks, we're not just teachers, or generals, or headmasters. The people in this room, the leaders of the other two academies, we're the ones that keep the world safe from the evils no one even knows about!" Qrow then faces Ironwood as he slowly gets up in his face. "It's why we meet behind closed doors, why we work in the shadows. So you tell me, James, when you brought your army to Vale, did you think you were being discreet, or did you just not give a damn!?"_

 _Ironwood and Qrow stared down at each other as Ironwood said, "Discreet wasn't working." He then turns around and places his briefcase down before placing his scroll on the table Then, the table scanned his scroll as it projects a hologram of Vale, Beacon Academy, the Amity Colosseum, and Ironwood's fleet of Atlesian Airships. "I'm here because this is what was necessary."_

" _You're here because Ozpin wanted you here! He made you a part of this inner circle and opened your eyes to the real fight that's in front of us!"_

" _And I am grateful."_

" _Oh, well, you've got a real funny way of showing it."_

 _Shuichi analyzes the holograms as he questions, "So what is the point of bringing your army here?" He closes his fist tightly as he continues. "Why do you believe that this is a necessity to bring hundreds of soldiers onto Vale grounds in view of the public?!" Then, Shuichi turns around and stares at Ironwood directly in the eyes and asked again, "Why would you compromise our presence, knowing that the infiltrator is still out there watching?!"_

 _The General stared down at Shuichi as he explained, "With the appearance of the Imagins, the people of Vale needed someone who would act. When they look to the sky and see my fleet, they feel safe, and our enemies will feel our strength."_

 _Shuichi and Qrow stared at Ironwood with disbelief as Shuichi marches towards him and grabs him by the collar. Professor Goodwitch was ready to intervene until Ozpin stopped her. "You think your damn army is gonna make them feel safe and scare off our enemies?! Where were they for the past eight months since the appearance of the Imagins?! The public had no one but me, Kurokuu, and Ruby's team to deal with them! So when they see your ships come in for the first time after eight months of constant attacks, do you wanna know what the public is thinking when they see that? They're saying how weak and hesitant your government is to step in and help Vale!"_

" _And with distrust, comes in fear. And fear brings in the Grim." Ozpin cuts in as he stands back up. "A guardian is a symbol of comfort. But an army is a symbol of conflict. There's an energy in the air now, a question in the back of everyone's minds. 'If this is the size of our defenses, how large is the threat we're facing'?"_

 _Ironwood glares at Shuichi, Qrow, Glynda, and Ozpin as he sighs and removes his scroll from the table. "So then, what would you suggest we do?" James questions._

" _I suggest we find our guardians." Ozpin declared. "We have our knights, Den-O and Zeronos, to protect the kingdom. Now we need our guardians to instill hope in the people."_

" _Zeronos? Who the hell is Zeronos?" Qrow asked._

" _That would be me." Shuichi said as he showed off his belt. Qrow looked at him in shock as Shuichi continued, "But as of this moment, I'm out of commission due to running out of cards to transform with."_

" _That won't be a problem for long." Ironwood informed._

 _Everyone eyed Ironwood curiously, except for Ozpin, as he said, "I assume you've already completed your project?"_

" _Indeed." Ironwood said as he reached towards the briefcase resting on the ground. He sets the briefcase on the ground and unclips the latches. "We only have this prototype for now, but soon we will mass produce this for the Atlas army so we may have a chance at combating the Imagins." He then opens the case up, revealing a Rider Belt. The belt has the same aesthetic as the Den-O belt, say for the buttons being removed and the front of the belt replacing the Den-O symbol with the Atlas symbol._

 _Ozpin analyzed the belt and asked Ironwood, "You do understand the repercussions of creating technology that doesn't exist in our time era?"_

 _Ironwood closes the briefcase before facing towards Ozpin and replying, "Sometimes, we'll have to bend the rules in order to ensure our future." He then pulls out his badge and asks, "Now back onto the subject of the new guardian. Have you decided on the two yet?"_

" _Yes. I was quite torn between these two. They're both strong, intelligent, caring…" Ozpin said as he takes off his glasses and rubs his eyes stressfully. "I believe these two are capable enough to carry this important responsibility."_

* * *

It is currently 4:47 in the afternoon as we stood outside of Beacon Tower for Winter, and let's just say that I'm starting to feel particularly anxious about this. I paced back and forth in front of Weiss, who remained rather calm, as I bury myself deep into my thoughts. Winter seems to hold me at some sort of high standards. I already seem to disappoint her when we first met. What if she thinks that I'm not good enough?

"Kurokuu, I think you need to sit down. Seeing you walking around back and forth is making my head hurt." Weiss said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I looked over to her and asked, "Weiss, does your sister… not like me?"

"What makes you say that?" Weiss asked back.

I scratched the back of my head as I slowly sat down next to her and said, "Well, she did say that she wasn't impressed by me. I just feel like she probably has a high expectation of me and that… maybe I'm not good enough for her… or you?"

Weiss sighed at my nervous behavior and replied, "Look, my sister will always have a high expectation when she meets anyone, especially from me since this is my first time being out on my own and making friends and being with you and whatnot." She then grabs my face and directed it towards her as she continued. "She justs wants what's best for me and you'll have to show her that you're someone that she can trust. Can you do that?"

I sighed stressfully before recomposing myself and replying while nodding, "I can do that."

"Good. Because I know you can." Weiss said as she pecked me on the forehead before letting go. But as soon as she let go, the sound of the door opening caught our attention as we see Winter exiting the building.

Winter quickly noticed our presence and said, "Weiss. Kurokuu. I didn't expect you two to be here."

Weiss stood up and did a small curstie as she responded, "Well, we both wanted to continue catching up with you. Right, Kurokuu?"

I nodded as I stood back up and said, "Besides, I thought this would be a good chance to get to know each other more like you wanted."

Winter looks at both me and Weiss for a moment before replying, "Sure, why not. I suppose that I still have some time to spare. Follow me. I know a nice place we could talk." From there, Winter began walking away from us as me and Weiss followed her. Let's just hope that this talk goes well for me.

* * *

 _A tense atmosphere filled the air as Shuichi and Qrow stood silently in the elevator, not making any eye contact with one another. Shuichi kept his hands busy by twirling around with the card holder as Qrow kept on fiddling with his flask. Soon, the sound of the elevator caught their attention as the door opened._

 _The two both walked out at the same time as they finally take a look at each other. They both stared at each other as Qrow said, "So, about where we left off."_

" _How about we talk about it over dinner? We could go to that old ramen spot for old times sake." Shuichi suggested._

 _Qrow smirked and asked, "Are you paying?"_

" _On me." Shuichi said as he pulled out his wallet filled with lien._

 _They arrived at their location as the restaurant is revealed to be a ramen shop called Ichiran Ramen. They both entered inside as they both take a seat at a table. They laid their weapons on the ground as a faunus waitress with wolf ears on her head walked up to them and placed two order menus. "Here's the menu and what would you two like to drink?"_

" _I would li-"_

" _Two bottles of beer and a bottle of Scotch please. " Qrow said as the waitress wrote it down and left._

 _Shuichi looked at Qrow and said, "Seriously?"_

" _What? What's wrong with a drink? Besides, we haven't had one together in a while." Qrow said as he began circling his order on paper for his ramen toppings._

 _Shuichi began to do the same as he filled out his order. He briefly looked over to Qrow's menu as he ordered everything including their Ichiran House Spice with a max quantity. Once they filled out their menu, the waitress came back with two bottles of beer, a bottle of Scotch, two large glasses, two small shot glasses, and a bottle opener. She set the drinks and glasses down before picking up the order and saying, "Okay, the order will arrive in a few minutes." And with that, the waitress left._

 _Qrow opens the two beer bottles and pours the beverage into Shuichi's glass before pouring the other bottle into his. Then, Qrow opens the Scotch bottle and pours some into Shuichi's shot glass before pouring some into his. Shuichi watches Qrow takes his shot of Scotch as Qrow slams the shot down and said, "Ooh, that's pretty good." Qrow notices that Shuichi hasn't drank his yet and asked, "Hey, Shuichi. Aren't you gonna drink yours?"_

 _Shuichi looks down at his shot glass and replied, "I shouldn't be drinking."_

 _Qrow looks at him confusingly before encouraging him, "Come on, what's wrong with drinking? You didn't have much of a problem with that back then. But then again, you were always lightweight."_

 _Shuichi glares at Qrow and said, "I am not a lightweight."_

" _Prove it." Qrow challenged as he pours himself another shot and downs it. Shuichi glares at Qrow before looking back down on the drink. He then rolls up his sleeves and picks up the shot before downing the content. Shuichi slams the shot back on the table before coughing harshly from the taste, which caused Qrow to laugh a little. "You alright there?"_

 _Shuichi smacks his tongue for a bit before replying, "Yeah, I'm fine. Wow, that is pretty strong._

" _No, it's not that strong. You're just overreacting." Qrow said as he pours another one for Shuichi. "Here, have some more."_

 _Shuichi picks up the glass and takes a whiff of the concoction, smelling the wood-like aroma, before downing it again. This time however, Shuichi didn't recoil from the taste as he said, "Wow, this is actually pretty good."_

" _Yeah, I remember how we would always go out and eat here with Tai and your team. And you would always be the lightweight of the group since you can't hold your liquor." Qrow reminisces about the past._

" _Yeah, and you guys would just keep sneaking drinks in me so that I would become more tolerant to it. Well, everyone except for Nereus."_

" _Pssh. Nereus was a bit of a downer most of the time. Every time we have our night out, he would always tell us that we shouldn't be drinking."_

" _Well, he isn't wrong." Shuichi said as he takes the bottle of Scotch and pours another one._

 _Qrow and Shuichi raise their shot glasses as they clink it before taking a drink. They slammed the shot down and exhaled loudly with satisfaction. Qrow looked into his shot glass and said, "Yeah, those were good times. Good times." He then looked up to Shuichi and asked, "So, are you gonna answer some questions that I have?"_

 _Shuichi's smile quickly disappeared as he said without making eye contact, "Lay it on me."_

 _Qrow took a deep breath and asked, "What happened to you? What happened on the day you went MIA?"_

 _Shuichi looked down at his pocket as he reached inside and pulled out the card holder of the Zeronos belt before revealing it to Qrow. "Twenty-one years ago for you, we were doing our search and destroy mission in Anima. We had to take care of a herd of Grimms in the forest near a village. After our team and a local huntsman took care of the herd, we encountered someone in the woods who knew my name."_

" _Wait, did he have a-"_

" _Black scarf? Yeah. He was there." Shuichi quickly answered before continuing, "But he quickly disappeared and an Imagin took his place. That said Imagin began attacking my team and the local huntsman so he could get to me. Afraid of what he could do, I told my team to return to the village while I held off the Imagin. I would've died that day if I hadn't ran into my future self."_

" _Your future self?" Qrow questioned._

" _Yeah. He, along with Deneb, patched me up and told me about everything. The Imagins. The King and Queen. My future."_

 _Qrow took another deep breath as he took another shot of Sake. "So, I'm assuming that your future self also gave you that belt."_

" _Correct. He gave this and Deneb in order to combat the Imagin." Shuichi said as he picked up the card holder off the table and back into his pocket. Qrow stared down at the shot glass, pondering about what he just learned, as Shuichi asked, "So, is there anything else you would like to ask?"_

 _Qrow remained silent for a brief moment as he set the shot glass down and asked, "Tell me why you chose to do this. Why would you want to take the mantle of the Kamen Rider?"_

 _Shuichi sighed softly as he filled up his shot with scotch and downed the beverage. He slammed his drink down and said, "I thought the answer would be obvious, being a huntsman and all." He then looks directly into Qrow's eyes and said, "I chose to take the mantle because I wanted to make a difference in this world. Something that I believe being a huntsman wouldn't accomplish. When I learned that there were more greater evil in the world than the Grimm, my eyes felt like they were opened for the first time in a long time. And when I was given the role of becoming Kamen Rider Zeronos, I didn't hesitate to take it at the time. With this, I could have the power to combat this threat as well as… become a beacon of hope for the people in this darkness. Just like what Summer told me."_

 _Qrow remained quiet for a moment before replying, "Right. Summer."_

* * *

After a few minutes of walking, Weiss, Winter, and I have finally arrived at what seems to be a pavillion. The pavilion is ornate and open to the air, and the walls made are up of two rows of columns and archways through which the sunlight streams in. Vines grow tastefully around the columns, and plants hang down from above and grow in vases. The room is centered around a large fountain with seats and tables at the edges. There is also a water feature of a lion at one end. The surrounding area appears to be a well-tended garden.

The pavillion area looks absolutely beautiful. Although, it does makes me wonder how I never came across this place ever since my time here at Beacon. Weiss and I glanced at each other before following Winter inside, where there was a couple of tables and chairs already set up. Winter and Weiss sat down at one table while I grabbed a chair from another table and dragged it over to them, much to their dismay as the loud grating sound hurts their ears.

"Uh… whoops! My bad!" I apologized as I picked up the chair and set it down next time them. As I sat down, there was an awkward silence filling the air, which made me a little anxious. Should I just start the conversation? Should I just wait for Winter to talk? I let a few seconds pass by as both Winter and Weiss hasn't said a word. So, I decided to take it upon myself to start the conversation, "So uh… nice afternoon we're having right?"

Seriously? Is that the best I could come up with? Winter slowly looked over to me and said, "Yes, it is. That is until you disrupted the peace."

Okay, I am definitely not gaining any good affinity from her. Man, maybe I should've asked Urataros how to talk to girls better.

"So, Winter, how is everything back in Atlas?" Weiss asked, allowing the tension to ease off of me.

"Atlas has been rather busy due to the situation we're in." Winter answered.

"What situation?" I asked.

"The 'Imagin' situation." Winter clarified.

Weiss and I both looked at her with a confused look in our eyes as Weiss asked, "Has the Imagins spread to Atlas?"

"No. Nothing of the sorts, yet." Winter answered. "But, we are here to assist Vale to deal with the Imagins."

"Really? That's great! We may actually have a chance at stopping the Imagins now!" I said excitedly while standing up from my chair.

"So, are you staying here for long term?" Weiss asked.

"No. I'm only here temporarily. In fact, I'm leaving tonight."

I immediately stopped cheering as I slowly sat back down, trying to not embarrass myself or Weiss. "You're... leaving?" Weiss repeated the news.

"Yes. I was merely needed to oversee the transport of additional units to Vale. Our last shipment was lost to an ambush from the White Fang a few months back, so we can't be too careless with it. " As Weiss sighed dejectedly, obviously upset at her sister's early departure, Winter grabs her hand and said, "Weiss, you've done... well, out here, on your own. You should be proud. I'll be honest, it was quite amusing seeing Father's face the day you left for Beacon!"

Weiss' demeanor quickly changed as she sat straight up and crossed her arms with a smile on her face. "I can't wait to show him what I learned!"

"Oh? Then what do you think you've learned?" Winter asked.

"What do you mean? I'm getting better and better with my glyphs! I've even started Time Dilation!" Weiss explained.

"And I have to say, Weiss is an amazing huntress. She, along with her team, have helped me and comrades against the Imagins." I praised.

Winter looked at me with a raised eyebrow and questioned, "Really now? What of your summoning?"

"I…" I hear Weiss' voice say before fading out.

"Summoning? I thought everyone's semblance is unique?" I asked Winter.

"No. Not all semblance are different. Unlike everyone else, our family's semblance is hereditary and is passed down from generations to generations." Winter explained.

"I can't." Weiss said. Wait what?

"Don't be ridiculous. Every Schnee has the ability to summon."

"I've tried! It's just... it's the one thing I've been having trouble with!"

"I can't believe what I'm hearing." I muttered softly, but just enough for them to hear. "Weiss Schnee saying that she can't do something? Where is the confident Weiss Schnee that I know?" Weiss was about to retort, but silence fell upon her lips. "Weiss, you said that you would help me become stronger every step of the way, so why don't I do the same for you? Let me help you too."

I looked into Weiss' eyes as it expressed embarrassment as Winter said, "Yes, Kurokuu is right. You're in an academy filled with people with years of knowledge of being a huntsman and you have students that are growing along with you, so you should take advantage of opportunities in front of you in order to improve yourself as a huntress." She stops for a moment as she lifts her hand up and opens her palm, revealing a small glyph floating above it. "Your Semblance is like a muscle. The more you practice with it, the stronger it will become. But if you only focus one aspect of it…" She stops for a moment as the glyph expands and the light shines brighter, causing both me and Weiss to look out. Soon, the light died down as we both stared in awe at the white and blue Beowolf standing at her side. She pets her domesticated beowolf before finishing, "...then you'll never truly grow."

Weiss smiles with determination as she got up from her chair and said, "Then, let's get started."

"Good. That's what I like to hear." Winter said to Weiss before she quickly turned towards me. "And you, Mr. Akarui. I believe this is your moment to shine."

"Um… what do you mean by that?" I asked Winter.

"Well, you are going to spar against my little sister, aren't you? You did say that you would help her, right?"

"Yes! Of course!" I exclaimed while nodding.

"Good. Now…" Winter then moved her right leg over to her left as she said, "... impress me."

* * *

" _Ahhhhhh… Now that's… what I call a meal." Qrow slurred as he and Shuichi both stumble out of the ramen shop._

 _Shuichi is seen leaning against Qrow's shoulder with a bright pink flush on his face as he said, "Qrow… I just want to say… that when I see Taiyang again. I'm gonna… punch that ol' bastard in the face for nailing your sister and Summer… I mean… how does he even do it?!"_

" _Yeah… my thoughts exactly." Qrow agreed as he pulled out of his flask and took another sip out of it._

" _Geez, man! After drinking a whole bottle of scotch and three bottles of beer, how is your liver still functioning?!"_

" _I don't know… maybe my liver is made of… iron…" Qrow answered jokingly as he chugged the rest of the content in the flask. And as he swifty puts the flask away, he looked down to Shuichi to see him hunched over. "Hey, kiddo. You alright?"_

 _Shuichi responded with a loud gagging sound as he covers his mouth, making sure his dinner doesn't come out. He succeeds in holding it in as he replied, "Yeah, I'm fine… I think I just need to sit down for a moment… You can go back to Beacon without me. I'll catch up."_

" _No way. I ain't leaving your ass here by yourself." Qrow said as he helps Shuichi up._

" _No, it's fine really. I'll have Deneb pick me up, so I could go back to the Zero-Liner." Shuichi said as sand started pouring out of his sleeves._

 _Qrow set Shuichi down and backed away, allowing the sand to form back into Deneb. Deneb looks at Qrow and said_ _ **, "Hello there, Qrow. I'm Deneb, but I'm sure you already know that. It is a pleasure to meet you."**_

 _Deneb did a quick bow as Qrow said, "So, you're Shuichi's Imagin."_

" _ **Correct, and I just want to thank you for spending time with Shuichi. He doesn't really go out and talk to people other than his team anymore."**_

" _Deneb! Shut up!" Shuichi said with embarrassment on his face._

 _Qrow chuckled at Shuichi's behavior and said, "Sure, it's no problem at all. Just wanting to catch up with an old friend is all."_

" _ **Oh, and please try to refrain from having Shuichi drink. I would appreciate it if Shuichi wasn't sick the next day."**_ _Deneb said as he picked up Shuichi off the ground,_

" _Don't worry, he'll be fine." Qrow said as he began walking away. But as he was doing so, he did a small finger salute and said, "We'll see each other real soon, Shuichi."_

 _In turn, Shuichi returned the gesture by waving back before promptly hunching over and releasing his dinner._ " _ **Ahhh! Shuichi, are you okay?!"**_ _Deneb asked worryingly._

" _Deneb. I'm fine." Shuichi reassured as he wiped the puke off his face. "Just get me back on the Zero-Liner and I'm gonna crash there for the night."_

" _ **Hai. Just hold on."**_ _Deneb said as he looked around for anyone watching them. After briefly checking his surroundings, he slowly walked Shuichi into an alley where there was a door that led to the back exit of another building. He quickly opens it as the cry of the Zero-Liner fills the air._

 _Deneb and Shuichi enter the Sands of Time and boards onto the Zero-Liner as it began to take off. They both entered the dining car as Deneb set Shuichi down on the benches._ " _ **Okay, just sit on tight. I'll go get some things to make you comfortable."**_ _And with that, Deneb quickly rushes into the next car, leaving Shuichi all alone._

 _Shuichi breathes in and out slowly as he muttered, "Next time… don't let Qrow peer pressure you to drinking again…" From there, he decided to make himself comfortable by removing his clothing, which included everything but his black shirt and boxers, and his weapon. From there, he laid on the bench and slowly closed his eyes, allowing himself to get some rest._

 _But that was soon cut short as the sound of the door opening woke Shuichi up. He laid still for a moment as he heard footsteps that didn't belong to Deneb. Out of instinct, Shuichi gotta up, rather sloppily, and grabbed his sword and pointed it at whoever it was at the door, only to see Nakamura. "Oh, it's you…" Shuichi said as he set his sword back down and sat back on the bench. "So, you came back. Why?" Shuichi asked._

 _Nakamura responded by reaching into his pocket and pulling out a new card holder with more cards for Shuichi to transform with. Shuichi stared intensely at the deck of cards as Nakamura placed them on the table and slides it over to him. Shuichi picks up the card holder and opens it up, showing twenty cards instead of ten._

 _Shuichi looked at the card deck curiously before counting it again, making sure it was twenty. He looked back up at Nakamura and was ready to ask him a question, that is until the Deneb entered the room to see the scene unfold in front of him._

 _Deneb had a pillow, blanket, and a trashcan in hand as he notices Nakamura's presences._ " _ **Nakamura! I didn't know you were here…"**_ _Deneb said before noticing the deck of cards. He then dropped all of the stuff he had in his hands as he walked over to Shuichi and grabbed the card holder out of his hands, much to Shuichi's dismay. But Deneb ignored him as he began counting the cards as well, getting the total of twenty just like Shuichi._

 _Deneb closes the card holder back up and began gripping on it tightly as he said_ _ **, "No… Nakamura. Please don't tell me that you're making Shuichi transform again?!"**_ _Nakamura didn't utter a single word as all he did was stared down at Deneb._

" _Deneb. Hand over to cards to me." Shuichi said as he reached his hands out and waited for Deneb to give it back. "Kurokuu and everyone can't be the only ones out there fight the Imagins. I need to be there for them too."_

" _ **I understand that, but I still think this isn't right."**_ _Deneb said as he turns towards Nakamura._ " _ **Every time he transforms, I can't stand how Shuichi keeps on being forgotten in Kasumi's eyes. It hurts to see Shuichi in pain all the time. As an Imagin, I will complete the contract that you have given to me, but not at the expense of causing Shuichi any more pain!"**_ _He then shoves the card holder back to Nakamura and began pushing him out of the dining car._ " _ **Now please, leave!"**_

" _Deneb! Deneb! Stop!" Shuichi shouted as he tried to get up and stop him, but Deneb stopped what he was doing to sit Shuichi down. All that Nakamura did was watch the struggle between Shuichi and Deneb play out as the Zero-Liner slowly came to a halt. Without the aid of Deneb, Nakamura boarded off the Zero-Liner, leaving the two by themselves once more as the Zero-Liner takes off once more._

 _The Zero-Liner's cry filled the air as Shuichi and Deneb both stare at each other intensely. Silence came and went as Deneb spoke softly_ _ **, "Now Shuichi, I understand that you're upset, but please hear me out-"**_

" _WHY?! WHY DID YOU STOP ME?!" Shuichi shouted with anger and frustration on his voice._

" _ **Shuichi, please let me explain-"**_

 _WHAT MADE YOU THINK THAT YOU COULD SUDDENLY COME IN HERE AND HAVE A SAY IN THIS?!"_

" _ **Shuichi, I am doing this out of the best intentions. I just didn't want to see you in so much pain and-"**_

" _DID I ASK YOU TO DO THIS FOR ME?! I KNEW THE RISKS WHEN I TOOK THE MANTLE! THIS WAS MY CHOICE, NOT YOURS!" Shuichi was about to say something else until he felt a piercing headache kick in._

" _ **Shuichi, are you okay?"**_ _Deneb said instinctively as he rushed to Shuichi's aid, only for it to be rejected._

 _Shuichi massaged his temples and said, "Deneb… just leave me alone and get out."_

" _ **But, I still didn't give you your-"**_

" _I don't care, just GET OUT!" Shuichi shouted back as he turned away from Deneb. Deneb looked down in shame as he turned away from Shuichi and walked towards the exit of the dining car. He turned to face Shuichi one last time before shutting off the lights and leaving him all alone in the dark._

* * *

Well, certainly this isn't something that I didn't expect out of today, but at least in getting my training in!

"Mr. Akarui, focus!" I hear Winter's voice piercing through my thoughts.

"Right!" I said back before focusing on the task back at hand. I managed to create some distance between me and Weiss, giving myself some time to breathe before Weiss rushes in again at lightning fast speed with her glyph.

However, I saw this coming and summoned Kintaros' Axe and blocked the incoming attack. Weiss looked up to me with a smirk on her face, somewhat impressed by my action. Then, I pushed Weiss back so I could switch out for the Uratarod and go in for a thrust.

Weiss quickly sees it coming and parries upward, but I quickly use this to my advantage to bring the rod around my head to strike downward across her face. This caused Weiss to stumble back as I struck upward with the other side of the rod in the chin.

Weiss grunted softly, causing me to stop for a moment as I stopped and asked her, "Weiss, are you alright? I didn't hit you too hard, did I?"

Weiss rubbed her chin for a bit before looking up at me with a determined look in her eyes. I gulped loudly, knowing that I made a mistake, as she sweep kicked me off of my feet. With my back on the ground, Weiss then proceeded to drive her sword at me as I began rolling away, trying to avoid it.

"Come now, Mr. Akarui! Are you gonna let Weiss keep you down like this?!" I hear Winter shout.

"Yeah, Kurokuu. Are you?" I hear Weiss repeat back at me.

Thinking on my fee- I mean "back", I rolled on my back and caught the incoming blade with two of my feet, catching Weiss off-guard. "Sorry, but I have to impress someone." I replied before redirecting her weapon away to the left before kicking her in the stomach.

Using what little time I have, I move both my legs towards my chest and performed a kip-up, getting myself back on my feet. Then, I quickly summoned the Momotarosword and charged at her with a downward slash, but Weiss quickly deflected the blow and struck me on the chest. I stumbled back for a bit before slowly regaining my composure, but Weiss wasted no time as she charged straight at me and unleashed a fury of strikes and thrusts.

And all I could do was brace myself as I felt a force of a car send me back flying right into the fountain. The water immediately splashed onto myself and my clothing as I was struggling to get back up on my feet, but my attempts were quickly thwarted by Weiss with her weapon at my neck. I looked up to Weiss, who had a grin on her face as she asked, "Kurokuu, do you yield?"

I sighed softly, knowing that I've lost, and replied with a droned tone, "I yield…"

Weiss smirked as she reached her hand out for me. I accepted her help as she pulled me out of the fountain. But as I got back on my feet, all the water started dripping down, forming a huge puddle underneath my feet. I could see Weiss snickering at me as she removed a large strand of algae of my hair.

"Here. Take a towel." I hear Winter say. I turned towards her, only to have a towel fly towards my face.

"Thanks." I said nonchalantly before using the towel to dry myself off along with removing some algae off my clothing and hair.

Weiss immediately turned towards Winter and asked, "So… how did we do?"

That question caused my head to perk upwards, hoping that she had something good to say about me, as Winter responded, "Weiss, you did adequately. Your form and defense still needs some work, but your offense is good on my standard. But you…" I gulped loudly as Winter glared at me with her cold gaze and said, "You are absolutely horrific!" I felt my heart drop down to my stomach as she continued with her rant, "Your stance needs some work, it looks like you haven't fully mastered any of your weapons, and you let your guard down at the worst moment during the spar!"

I slowly let my head drop down in shame as I knew that she was right about everything. Man, I really screwed this up, didn't I? Your one and only chance to impress Winter and I still mess it up! I must've embarrassed Weiss. I wonder how she feels about me now?

Winter sighs softly as she inhaled deeply and said, "But… I can appreciate how you're at least quick-witted during the spar."

I felt my heart bounce back up from my stomach as that one compliment brought me hope. "Really?" I asked.

"Don't let this get through your head! You still need lots of practice."

I bowed at a ninety degree angle and said, "Right! I understand!"

"Good." Winter said before facing Weiss. "Now, let's practice your semblance. Take a step forward and get in position." Weiss takes a step forward to where Winter was directing as she pulls out Myrtlenaster and points it at the ground. Slowly, a glyph forms beneath her feet as Winter praised, "Excellent form! Now think to your fallen foes! The ones who forced you to push past where you were, and become who you are now." As Weiss tries to concentrate, I could see the glyph beneath her start to flicker. "Think of them, and watch as they come to your side."

Strangely, Winter's words can't seem to get through to her as I said softly, "Weiss, you can do this. We've come so far from the first time. Think of all the experiences we faced together. Remember all of those Imagins we took down."

I could see the struggle on Weiss's face lessen as her glyph stopped flickering. I smiled with relief as I looked over to Winter, who was just as relieved as I was as she said, "Yes, Weiss! You almost got it!" Then, the glyph started spinning faster and faster as a bright light started to emit from it. Once the light started to dim, I managed to see a brief image of something before it disappeared.

I could see Weiss breathing heavily as she dropped her sword and fell on her knees. I felt my instincts kick in as I shouted with worry, "Weiss!" I rushed over to her aid as I crouched down to her and asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Weiss replied. I reached my hand out to her, to which Weiss accept, and slowly picked her up back on her feet.

"Good. You seem to have better control of your semblance. See? You shouldn't have doubt yourself earlier. You've grown quite well!" Winter praised while applauding. I looked over to Weiss, who had a proud expression on her face, as Winter continued, "But, you still haven't managed to fully summon anything yet. I want you to practice it again and you will not stop until I say so. Understood?"

"Of course, Winter." Weiss said as she bends down and picks up her sword.

But as she gets into position and starts to perform her summon once more, I felt a hand on my shoulder, causing me to shake nervously. "Kurokuu, come with me." I hear Winter whisper as she lets go of my shoulders and walks the other away.

I turned around towards Winter and stared at her silently. Okay, Kurokuu. You definitely know that something's up, but what is her game? I haven't really done much to impress her at all. Wait, what if she knows about me and Weiss?! I took a quick peek at Weiss as she's seen practicing her summoning. Calm down, Kurokuu. It's probably nothing. Maybe she's just trying to get to know me.

I took one deep breath before following after Winter. As we stepped out of the pavillion, a gust of wind flew past the both of us as Winter asked, "So...Kurokuu, may I ask how long you've known my sister?"

"Um… about seven months, give or take." I replied back nervously.

And as if I wasn't already nervous enough, I could see Winter slowly unsheathing her sword as she followed up with, "Oh, is that so? Tell me, I've always known that Weiss could be a little bit difficult to deal with in the beginning. Now, I understand that she was able to bond with her teammates, but what about you? Why do you seem to stick around with Weiss?"

"Well, it's because Weiss is my friend." I replied once more.

Winter stares at me for a brief moment as she nods and asks, "What do you think of my sister?"

"Where do I start? She's kind, strong, independent, and caring, when she's not grumpy and uptight." I answered with sudden confidence.

I see Winter briefly smirking before she suddenly strikes! I quickly backflip away from the driving blade before landing back on my feet and summoning the Momotarosword. Winter charges at me once more with a horizontal slash, but I quickly managed to block the attack. I looked up for a brief moment to see Winter's intense eyes as she overwhelmed me with a fury of precise thrusts and slashes. I could feel the blade quickly draining more aura before feeling the last strike knocking me back several feet away.

I laying on the ground in pain as I muttered, "Ow…"

I looked up to see Winter slowly charging at me as she shouts, "Don't just lay there! Fight!"

Seeing Winter approaching me, I quickly get back on my feet and summon the Kintaros Axe to block the incoming blade. Her sword grinds into the axe as I take this window of opportunity to create some distance between me and her by sweep kicking, to which she reacted by jumping away from me.

Winter landed back on her feet as I got up and switched out the Kintaros Axe with the Uratarod. We both stared at each other, waiting for one of us to make a move, until Winter took the first step. My grip tightened as she proceeds to attack again.

But as I got into position, something strange happened this time. As she was charging, I could see her glyph appearing beneath her feet as it sent Winter up high into the air. Quickly adapting, I turned around just as she landed back on her feet and deflected her attempted strike from behind.

Winter seemed somewhat impressed before she unleashed her fury of strikes and thrusts once more, but this time I was able to keep up with her speed and blocked most of it.

"If you are really Weiss' friend, would you really be there for Weiss when she's in danger?! Or will you just abandon her?!" Winter shouted as she kept on applying more pressure on me.

I could feel myself slowly getting tired and I know I can't keep this up forever so think your way out of this! Winter's fighting style is very much similar to Weiss', but obviously much more refined and faster. And she also has her summoning, something that Weiss hasn't done yet. Come on, Kurokuu! Think!

I blocked the next incoming attack before I felt Winter's kick knocking me back a bit. However, I quickly recovered as I remembered the rings around the ends of the rod, which sparked an idea in my head!

I got in position as I watched Winter charge at me once more. She goes in for a vertical slash, but I quickly deflected the attack before following up with a quick counter to the torso. But Winter quickly saw that coming and went in for a driving strike. Seeing this gold opportunity flash before my eyes, I quickly use the ring on the end of the rod lock Winter's sword.

I looked up to Winter with an arrogant look on my face, but Winter had a look of her own as she opens her sword and pulls the second one out. I could feel my heart drop as Winter slashed my exposed chest before unleashing the last wave of attack, knocking my butt on the ground easily.

I slowly tried to get back up on my feet until I felt a blade on my throat. I looked up at Winter as she asked again, "So what's your answer? Would you?"

I slowly closed my hand into a fist, offended that she would as a question like that. I looked back up directly at her and replied, "Of course I would be there for her when she's in danger. What kind of question is that?! If I wasn't there for her, then I don't have the right to call myself her friend!"

Winter stared at me analytically as she inserted her back up sword back into her main sword before sheathing it. She offers her hand out to me, to which I cautiously accept, and pulls me back up on me feet. "You really do care about her." Winter said nonchalantly.

I was a little caught off-guard by this statement as I said, "Well, of course I do! I mean that's what friends are for like I always say! It's nothing more than that, I swear!"

She raised her eyebrow, clearly not convinced, as she said, "Mr. Akarui, I'm not dumb. I'm a high ranking specialist trained to find the smallest details in combat and I'm not blind to see what's going on." I gulped loudly as I felt sweat dripping down profusely, both for nervousness and from the fight. "From how highly my sister speaks of you in the letter to how you're acting, I know that you two are… in a relationship."

I felt fear running through my spine. Yep, I'm so screwed. Weiss is definitely gonna kill me. I inhaled deeply as I said, "Well…. There's no point in hiding it anymore. Yes, you're right. I'm… dating Weiss."

I could see Winter's body shifted a little as she turned away from me and puts her hands behind her back. She takes a deep breath and asks, "Tell me, what compelled you to pursue my sister? Was it her wealth? Her beauty?"

I looked down at my feet and took a deep breath as well, shaking off the nervousness within me. "It was none of those things. At first when I realized how I felt about her, I didn't know how to respond to them. This feeling of… love was a new experience for me and at the time, I was afraid of it. I was afraid that she would reject me, which triggered something else within me. The fear that… she might just disappear from my life like everyone else would. All except for my sister. But, I felt soon that fear disappeared as my teammate, Shuichi, said to just go for it. Don't waste time on fearing the possibilities and go for it. And I did just that, my friends pushed me to ask Weiss out to the dance and she said yes. And some things happened here and there and here we are now, together. So to answer your question, I was compelled to pursue Weiss because she makes my life less lonely. She fills that void in my heart."

After my lengthy tale, I watched Winter as she remained quiet, most likely taking in the information that I just dumped on her. Then, Winter finally responds as she turns back towards me and asked, "You mentioned you have a sister, yes?" I replied back with a quick nod. "Then, you could understand how siblings are protective of each other, right?" I nodded once more. "Ever since our mother died, I've always been the one to take care of Weiss and my brother, almost like a second mother since our father has always been too busy to take care of us. So as I see Weiss grow into womanhood, I have to teach her to make her own decisions as well as help her become more independent since I can't be there for her all the time to take care of her. And if this is the decision that my sister has made, then I will not object to it, but I need you to promise me something."

"What promise?" I asked Winter.

Winter stared at me intently as she said, "Promise me that Weiss didn't make a mistake when she chose to be with you. Promise me that you won't make her cry. Do you understand?"

I let the words sink in for a bit before replying, "I promise. I'll never make Weiss cry."

I could see Winter's face slowly soften, relief shown across her face, as she walked past me and said, "Come now, we mustn't keep Weiss waiting."

I quickly followed Winter as we enter back in the pavillion. Weiss can be seen still practicing her summoning as her glyph appears in front of her. However, our appearance distracts her as Weiss stops, which causes her glyph to disappear.

"Why did you stop?" Winter asked sternly at Weiss.

"I'm sorry." Weiss apologized.

"Don't apologize. Just try again." Winter said, to which Weiss complied.

Weiss stands in position once more as a glyph appears once more. I could see Weiss' eyes lock onto mine as I smile and give her a thumbs up. Weiss smirks a little as she closes her eyes. Slowly, the glyph starts to spin faster and faster, generating large gust of air. Weiss seem to be able to focus as the glyph starts to shine brightly again.

I covered my eyes for a moment before the light receded. I slowly lower my hand as I see the bright figure in front of me. The figure itself was an Imagin, more specifically the Cobra Imagin from Gaoh's group. The Cobra Imagin went down on one knee and set his head down, awaiting for his order.

I felt this surge of proudness within me as I rushed towards Weiss with a hug. "Weiss, you did it! You finally did it!" I said excitedly.

"Kurokuu! Stop this! This is not the way to behave in front of my sister!" Weiss reminded me.

I quickly realized what I was doing and backed away from her. Weiss and I both looked over to Winter, who had a smile on her face as she approached us and said, "Congratulations. I knew you could do it, Weiss."

Weiss blushed a little at her sister's praise as she brushed a strand of her hair to the side and said, "Well, I did have some help."

"Yes, you did." Winter said as she spared a quick glance at me. She looked back at Weiss and continued, "Emotions can grant you strength, but you didn't let it overtake you this time. You've grown quite well these past few months at Beacon. At this rate, you'll become a great huntress."

"Thank you, Winter. This means a lot to me."

Winter presses her hand on Weiss' shoulder and said, "I know. You're stronger now. You don't need me or father to hold your hand anymore."

I could see Weiss open her mouth for a brief moment before closing it. She put on her best smile and said, "You're right. Thank you." Weiss then gives her sister a hug, to which Winter accepted. "It was really nice to see you again, Winter."

Winter chuckled lightly as they stood like this for a moment. Eventually, Winter broke away from Weiss and said, "Until next time, Weiss. I want you to become stronger, okay?" Weiss nods in response. "And Kurokuu, remember our promise."

I nodded and said, "Of course. I won't forget."

The moment I said my promise, the sound of the airship rings loudly as large gusts of wind forms. Weiss and I covered our eyes to protect us from dust as we see the Atlesian airship landed. The dock opened up as Winter turned her backs towards us and walked towards the ship. Once she boarded on, she gave us one final salute before the airship took off. We both exited the pavillion to see the airship streak across the night sky.

Silence lingered between us until I cleared my throat and said, "Well, your sister knows how to make a grand exit."

"Yes, yes she does." Weiss simply said until her scroll started ringing. She pulled it out, revealing the caller to be her father. I watched Weiss debating on answering her call until she took a deep breath and canceled it. I smiled softly, feeling proud for her decision, until I saw Weiss fall on one knee.

I quickly rushed to her aid and asked, "Weiss, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I just need to rest after that training we've been put through." Weiss replied as she slowly got back up on her feet. Weiss and I looked at each other with content on our faces as I grabbed Weiss by the waist while she wraps her arm around my shoulder. We then made our way towards our dorms as Weiss asked, "So… what happened between you and Winter?"

I gave Weiss and cheeky grin and said in a playful manner, "Oh? Nothing really happened~"

"Should I be worried?"

I laughed a little and said, "No. Not at all. Let's just say I got the typical 'don't hurt my sister or I'll kill you' message."

Weiss rolled her eyes at that and said, "As if my sister would say something so barbaric."

"Oh, if only you were there. She kicked my butt real hard."

"Of course she would." Weiss said confidently.

I clutched onto my chest and said in a fake painful tone, "Ouch, Weiss! How could you choose your sister over me?!" Weiss rolled her eyes again before smacking me across the shoulders.

"Ow! Not so hard!" I said playfully as I rubbed my shoulder, which caused Weiss to laugh a little. Soon, we arrived at our dorm building as I reached my hand towards the door and opened it up for the both of us.

We entered inside and headed straight towards the elevator as I pressed the button to call on it. And instantaneously, the elevator came as the door opened up for us to enter. We entered inside and pressed on our floor as the door closes and the elevator goes up. The ride up was a quiet one as we stood close to each other, enjoying each other's company.

Then, the elevator door opens as we exit and make our way towards our respective dorm. As we make our way there, I felt Weiss' hand slowly creep into mine before locking onto it, to which I do the same. Once we arrive, I let go of Weiss' hand and said, "Well, this is our stop. We should get some sleep for tomorrow for our fights."

But as soon as I reached the door handle, I felt Weiss' arms latched onto me from behind. I froze in place as she said, "Kurokuu, thanks for today. I really needed it."

I sighed softly and said, "No problem at all. Just trying to be a good boyfriend." We savor this moment for a bit until I felt Weiss' arms slowly let go of me. I slowly turned around to face each other as I said, "Good night, Snowflake."

I could see Weiss' eyebrows rise up as she said, "Snowflake?"

"What? Is it a bad nickname? I just kinda thought that it suits you. I thought of Snow Princess, but Neptune called you that and it feels kinda weird to take that nickname from him and-"

I felt her finger on my lip, immediately shutting me up. "Kurokuu, the name could be… better, but I like it." Weiss said with a grin on her face. Slowly, she removes her fingers off my lips as she approaches back to her dorm and replies back, "Good night to you too, Kurokuu."

And with that, she enters inside and closes the door. I was staring at her door for a brief moment for a bit before turning back around and entering inside my dorm. The room was dark as if it was untouched. Assuming that Mai is in the medical bay and Shuichi and Deneb are probably sleeping on the Zero-Liner, I have the whole dorm room all to myself. I began stripping off my shoulder armor and clothing before plopping onto bed, too lazy and tired to take a shower after today.

Man, today was just… wild. I made it through the team round, I met Weiss' sister, and she tried to kill me. But on the bright side, at least Winter somewhat approves of me and Weiss' relationship. I can't wait to see what tomorrow has in store. And with that last train of thought, I let my eyelids close as I let the drowsiness take over.

* * *

 _Meanwhile on the Den-Liner, the dining car was dark and quiet as the Imagins were in their slumber, all except for one. Ryutaros stared at the blank ceiling, unable to sleep due to Momotaros' and Kintaros' loud snoring. He sighs softly as he gets up and walks towards the counter. Ryutaros crouches down and opens the fridge to grab a carton of milk. But as he picks it up and opens it, Ryutaros stops for a moment before looking up. Ryutaros gasps before disappearing, leaving behind a spilled milk carton on the ground._

* * *

 _Kurokuu slept on his bed peacefully as the sounds of his snores ring throughout the room. The room stood still except for a movement in the shadows. Out from the shadows, The King is seen slowly walking out as he hovers over Kurokuu's sleeping body. The King leans down to Kurokuu and brushes a few strands of hair away from his face. He smiles sinsterly as his hand slowly reaches down for Kurokuu's neck, that is until a hand stopped him._

 _The King looks back up to see Kurokuu with his eyes open, revealing it to be purple._ " _ **Kai."**_ _Ryutaros muttered as he twists Kai's wrist before kicking him back._

 _The King, now known as Kai, stumbles back as Ryutaros hopped off the bed. He goes in for a side kick, but Kai dodges and parries the attack before elbowing Ryutaros in the knee. Ryutaros grunted in pain as Kai held onto Ryutaros' injured knee and sweeped kick him, knocking him down on the ground. Ryutaros breathed heavily, completely winded, as Kai leans down and says, "Ryutaros, it's been quite a while."_

 _Ryutaros didn't seem too keen on creating small talk as he attempts to swing his other leg at Kai, but Kai quickly saw this coming and pushed his leg away. "Uh, uh, uh~ I wouldn't do that if I were you." Kai threatened as he kicked Ryutaros' injured leg. Ryutaros grunted in pain as Kai asked, "So, are you going to cooperate? Or wilI I have to sever that leg off instead?" Faced with no other options, Ryutaros sighs and nods. "Good." Kai said as he lets go of Ryutaros' leg._

 _Ryutaros hissed in pain as Kai crouched down to Ryutaros' level and asked, "So, Ryutaros. It's been a while. Mind if you explain why you haven't been updating me with information? Or why you haven't done the job I've given you and kill the singular point?" His eyes starts to grow wide as plates as his mouth curved into his iconic maniacal smile. "Or better yet, why you decided to join forces with said singular point and rebelling against me?!" Kai stopped for a moment to inhale deeply, calming himself down, as his facial feature return back to normal. "So do you have an answer for me?"_

 _Ryutaros stared into Kai's eyes with anger as he answered_ _ **, "It's a rather easy answer. I was given two options and I chose the one that helps me."**_

" _Really now? Enlighten me. How does being with Kurokuu give you more benefits?" Kai said as he opened his calendar book and began sifting through the pages._

" _ **I don't know. I get to be on an awesome train. I get to kick people's butts. And-"**_

" _And let me guess, her?" Kai said as he retrieved a picture of Kasumi from his book._

 _Ryutaros' eyes changed from anger to fear as he asked fearfully_ _ **, "How… how did you know about her?"**_

" _Oh, come on, Ryutaros! You can block out my orders, but that doesn't stop me from reading your thoughts. Besides, I am… your king." Ryutaros has a defeated look on his face as Kai tossed the picture of Kasumi on the ground and said, "Besides that, it'll be a damn shame if something happened to her."_

 _Those words set Ryutaros off as he tried to get up, only to fall back down due to his injured leg. Ryutaros grunts in pain as he muttered_ _ **, "Please… don't hurt Onee-chan…"**_

" _I promise you that I will never hurt her, but only if you follow my orders this time. Do you understand?" Ryutaros looks away, but Kai grabs his neck and forces Ryutaros to look at him. "Do you understand?"_

 _Ryutaros and Kai stared at each other for a moment until Ryutaros sighs and says_ _ **, "Yes. I understand."**_

" _Good. Now, here are your next set of orders and do not, I repeat do not, mess it up or you'll have to say goodbye to her." Kai said as he whispered into Ryutaros' ears. Ryutaros lowers his head before nodding in response._

* * *

 _The Next Day_

I could hear the crowd cheer on loudly as Doctor Oobleck said over the intercom, "And with that, Team RWBY takes the doubles round from Team FNKI!"

"Indeed. Team RWBY certainly felt the heat tonight, but let's see if Team MSKD can take the heat as well against… Team STAR of Atlas!" Professor Port said before the intercom shut off.

I sit in the locker room quietly, watching my hands shake for a bit, until the sound of footsteps catch my attention. I look up and see Mai and Shuichi walking towards me, to which I say, "Hey, guys!"

I quickly stood up at their arrival as Mai said, "Hey, Kurokuu! Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be!" I replied. I looked over to Shuichi, who didn't look like in any condition to fight. "Are you alright? You look kinda pale."

Shuichi groaned a little and said, "I'm fine. Just a little headache is all. I should be asking you the same question."

"What do you mean?"

"You're limping a little." Shuichi pointed out.

I quickly understood what he meant as I looked down at me knee and said, "Yeah, I'll be fine too."

"What happened?" Mai asked.

"I don't know. I just woke up with this bruise on my knee. I think Momotaros or the others might've possessed me in my sleep again."

Mai sighed and said, "I can't believe those guys! After giving them that talk too!"

"You can give them the talk after we get past the doubles round." Shuichi said as he stepped over the bench and opened his locker.

As that was happening, the arena entrance opened as Yang is seen supporting Weiss as they limp towards us. I smirked at their arrival as I walked over to them and said, "Hey, guys. Great job! I guess you can say you guys really handled the… pressure… well? Ha! Get it?! Pressure?! Because of the geysers and Yang going off?"

I felt everyone's eyes look at me with disapproval as Mai places her hand on my shoulder and said, "Kurokuu, remind me to tell you to not make puns ever again."

"Yeah, I think you did worse than Weiss." Yang said, much to Weiss' dismay.

I let my head hang low for a moment as Yang sat her down on the bench. I quickly raised my head up and sat down next to her. "But in all seriousness, you guys did great out there! And Weiss, I didn't think you would pull something like that off." I complimented Weiss.

Weiss raised her chin up and looked away from me and said, "Well, if it meant to ensure our victory, then I'll do it again."

"Awww! Thanks, Weiss! I knew you had a heart to care about me!" Yang said jokingly as she hugged her from behind, which made Weiss… uncomfortable to say at the least.

"Yang! Stop that!" Weiss said as she tried to break free from Yang's grips.

"Aw! Don't be like that!" Yang said as she kept hanging on.

Mai and I laughed at Yang's antics until the sound of the Shuichi's locker closing grabbed our attention. "Enough fooling around. Let's get going." Shuichi said as he sheathed his sword and walked towards the arena door.

"Hey!" Yang shouted at Shuichi. "We still haven't talk about what is up between you can Qrow!"

Weiss tried to defuse the situation as she said, "Yang, now is not the-"

"She's right." Shuichi interrupted. "Now is not the time. If you really want to know, just as your "uncle" about it." And with that, the arena door entrance opened and the bridge rose up from the pit.

Shuichi took the first step as he walked out first. Panicking, I took out my Rider Pass and stopwatch and gave it to Weiss and said, "Weiss, can you hold my stuff for me, please!"

Weiss sighed and said, "Fine." She grabbed it out of my hands and said, "Good luck out there, Kurokuu!"

"Thanks, Snowflake!" I shouted back as I caught up with Shuichi. I took one final look as I saw Weiss, Mai, and Yang waving back at us before the entrance closes. I took one deep breath before turning back around to see the roaring crowd once more.

"And here we have the next doubles match of the day! Kurokuu Akarui and Shuichi Nakamura of Team MSKD vs Edward Stehlen and Cristina Rockbell of Team STAR!" Professor Port announced as the crowd went wild. Wait, Edward Stehlen? Why does that name sound familiar?

I could detect the curiosity in Doctor Oobleck's voice as he asked, "Wait, The Edward Stehlen? You mean-?"

"Yes, The Edward Stehlen himself. The heir to the Stehlen Industries who got kidnapped by the White Fang a few years back." Professor Port quickly responded. I felt my eyes grow wide as plates. Wait, THE EDWARD STEHLEN?!

Shuichi looked over to me as we made it onto the arena and asked, "Who's Edward Stehlen? Why does everyone seem to know this guy?"

"Dude! Edward Stehlen was the heir to the Stehlen Industries, known for their mass armament!" I whispered really loudly, barely containing my shock.

"I know that, you idiot! Doctor Oobleck just said that! Get a hold of yourself!" Shuichi said as he placed his hands on my shoulders and shook me really hard.

After Shuichi shook me, I took a deep breath again and explained calmly, "Roughly about five years ago, Edward was on an expedition in Vacuo until he was attacked and held hostage by the White Fang."

"Okay I got that, but why does everyone seem to make a big deal about him? He got captured and rescued, right?"

"Wrong! News and reports have shown that he escaped out of there himself! He took out the entire White Fang camp!"

Shuichi started to look interested as he asked, "Well, how did he get out?"

"I don't know-"

"HEY!" The sound of their call caught our attention as we turned to the source and saw Edward and Cristina.

Going off of first impression, Edward looks… unprepared. He had a pale complexion with golden eyes, blond hair that is braided into a ponytail, and a scar that is above and goes across his left eyebrow. His outfit consisted of the Atlas uniform, but it was extremely unkempt. The white dress shirt isn't tucked in, the tie is just hanging around his neck, the shoelaces of his combat boots are hastily shoved in, and the belt holding up the vest was hastily put on and tightened. Other than that, the only other clothing that he has that looks somewhat presentable was his red cloak with a insignia of two gears together, a pair of white gloves, and his white dress pants.

His partner, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. Cristina is a wolf faunus as she has the ear trait, a pale complexion, blue eyes, and blond hair that is tied up into a bun. Her attire consists of a black t-shirt, a shoulder holster that holds two pistols, navy blue cargo pants, an open navy blue skirt with gray accents around the waist line and edges that reaches down to her ankles, and black combat boots.

We both taken in their appearance as Edward says, "If you're gonna keep staring at us all day, might as well let us take the victory."

"As if. I don't know what you're reputation is, but if you're as strong as I heard from others, then don't expect me to go easy." Shuichi said as he cracked his neck.

"Ooh! We have a tough guy here! Let's see how long you can keep up the act." Edward said as he got in position.

But, Cristina quickly stops him and said, "Sir, permission to speak freely?"

Edward sighs at Cristina's militaristic behavior and said, "Yes, Cristina?"

"I just want to say that you look absolutely horrendous!" Cristina said as she walked in front of him and began fixing up his uniform. Shuichi and I watched this play out as she continued, "My Oum, do you ever make yourself look presentable?! What we look like will represent Atlas as a whole and we can't let them think that we're slobs. Also, what happened to your battle attire? Did you not get it fixed yet?"

You can say the annoyance seething out of Edward as he took a deep breath and said, "I was until someone forgot to remind me!"

"Sir, our team is not your personal alarm clock, we are not held responsible if you forget." Cristina quickly countered as she finished putting on the tie, making Edward's appearance more proper. "There, all better. Now, make sure you don't try to ruin your school attire. Professor Ironwood will be very upset if you do."

"Alright! Alright! Just stop bugging me about this in the middle of our fight!"

"He's right you know." I cut in on the conversation. "So, are we gonna keep standing around and talking or are we gonna fight?"

Edward smirks as he get down into a fight position and replies, "Now, you're speaking my language!"

We also soon get in our stance as Professor Port said, "Well, now that we have our lengthy introduction over with let us see what arena they'll be fighting in."

As the holographic roulettes appears, I quickly whispered, "Guys, have you all decided on who's going when?"

' **Yep! This time, I get to go first!'** Momotaros said eagerly.

' **I'm going second.'** Urataros replied.

You can hear Kintaros crack his neck as he answered **, 'I'll be going third.'**

I waited to hear Ryutaros' cheery response, but all I got was him muttering softly **, 'I'm… going last.'**

I soon felt worried about Ryutaros. Is something wrong? I was going to ask him that until Professor Port's voice cut me out of my thoughts as he said, "Well, it looks like Team STAR will be fighting in the mining arena! And Team MSKD will be….!" The dial spun until it landed on a water symbol. "The ocean arena!"

Just as Professor Port advised us, the arena started changing. On Team STAR's side, there were two small mountains with four entrances in total. Each mountain having a bottom and top cave. Also, they are all connected with tracks that contain a mining cart. On our side, we have a large tank of water with nine stone pillars for us to stand on.

"Fighters! Are you ready?" Doctor Oobleck asked. I quickly summoned the Momotarosword as I closed my eyes and let Momotaros take over. "In 3! 2! 1! BEGIN!"

On that beat, I felt Momotaros jump into my body as he grinned and shouted his catchphrase **, "ORE SANJO-"**

Suddenly, Momotaros got interrupted by a bullet to the shoulders as Cristina fired her first shot. "Ooh! It seems like Cristina captialized on Kurokuu's… ahem…. entrance and attacked. See this is why we don't have battle cries." Doctor Oobleck commentated.

Momotaros quickly got up, infuriated that he got interrupted, and shouted **, "HEY! NO ONE SHUTS ME UP FROM DOING MY ROLL CALL! I DARE YOU TO DO THAT AGA-"**

And just like that, Momotaros got shot again. Shuichi slapped his forehead out of disappointment and shouted, "Momotaros! Just drop it and go after the faunus! I'll deal with Edward!"

As Shuichi charged into battle, Momotaros quickly got back up and summoned his sword. " **Alrighty! You wanna be like that? Fine! IKUZE! IKUZE! IKUZE!"** And with that, Momotaros charged straight at Cristina with full force.

However, this doesn't seem to faze her as she kept on firing her pistols, but Momotaros easily deflects the incoming bullets. He quickly closes the distance on her as he goes in for a horizontal slash, but Cristina dodges the blade but arching her back at almost a ninety degree angle! Holy crap, she's flexible! Without skipping a beat, she retaliated and whacked Momotaros across the temples using her pistols, completely disorienting him. This gave Cristina enough time to backflip away to create some distance before unleashing her hail of bullets. Momotaros took on all the shots as Cristina followed it up with a flying kick, sending him flying back a few feet.

Momotaros groaned in pain as I said, 'Momotaros, I don't think this is a good idea to fight her. She has range along with agility! We should let Ryutaros handle he-'

" **Like Hell that I'm letting that brat take over! I got this!"** Momotaros muttered as he got back on his feet, only to notice that Cristina was in the middle of reloading.

Knowing that the opportunity was right in front of him, Momotaros rushed in once more. But knowing what will happen again if Momotaros rushed in there blindly, I quickly advise him, 'Momotaros, don't just rush in there again!'

" **Don't worry, I have a plan! Time to take a page out of her book."** Momotaros said as he kept on charging at her. Cristina was done reloading as she pointed her guns at Momotaros and fired. But instead of blocking, he jumped high in the air and over Cristina, leaving her back completely exposed. I felt a sense of deja vu hit me as I remembered Winter doing the same thing. Then, Momotaros' sword came down as he slashed Cristina down her back, inflicting quite a bit of damage, before bringing the sword back up and knocking her back a few feet.

During her flight, she accidently lets go of her pistol, leaving her completely defenseless. Momotaros took advantage of this as he decides to do his finisher. " **See? I told you I had a plan this time! You should have faith in your pal more often."**

'Sorry about that. I was just worried is all.' I quickly apologized

" **It's fine. Let's just take care of her."** Momotaros said as his sword started glowing red. " **This is my hissatsu attack! MOMOTAROS VERSION!"** And with that, the blade separates from the hilt as he pulls the hilt all the way back and swings it down on Cristina.

A large explosion occurred as the crowd roared! "Ooh! And it looks like Kurokuu wasted no time and dispatched her with a finish blow!" Professor Port said.

"Truly no mercy will be shown after… wait… What is that?!" Doctor Oobleck exclaimed.

Momotaros looked into the cloud as it slowly cleared out, revealing a large figure standing in front of Cristina. This large figure seems to be made of pure aura and there is dust hanging around it, almost like an Imagin. It has this bandage like appearance as it has a head with a large hole, long claw-like fingers, and a lanky physique. I watched in shock and awe as I said, 'Did that thing just took on the blow?!'

"It looks like Ms. Rockbell has already used her semblance in the beginning of the round called Ajin!"

"Ah, yes! Her semblance, Ajin, summons an entity made of her aura that follows her command at her beck and call. And let me say this now, they are not easy task to beat!" Professor Port informed as this Ajin entity attacks!

The Ajin charges at Momotaros with a right jab in the face, completely catching him off-guard with its inhuman speed. It quickly followed up with a knee to the stomach before grabbing the collar of my jacket and tossing me into the stone pillars of the ocean arena!

Momotaros sank into the water as he struggles to swim back up to the surface! I started panicking as I shouted, 'I think switching out would be a good time by now!'

And just as I said that, Urataros appeared in his translucent form and said **, 'This is why I am the more reliable one. Out of the way, Senpai.'** Momotaros didn't put up a fight as he allowed Urataros to take over and kick him out. Urataros quickly takes in the situation before swimming at a rapid rate back up to the surface. Once near the surface, he took it up a notch and went faster as he jumped out of the water and landed back onto the edge of the center arena, superhero style and all.

Cristina turned around and watched cautiously as Urataros slowly rises up and whips his wet hair back, revealing his blue eyes to her.

"Your eyes… they're different than before. Just like the first round." Cristina pointed out.

" **Why thank you~! I appreciate someone who takes notice of my handsome features. Now…"** Urataros stops for a moment as he puts on his glasses. " **Mind if I reel you in?"**

Cristina wasn't fazed by Urataros' words as her aura flared, summoning her Ajin back on the field. But instead of it attacking me, the Ajin charged where Shuichi and Edward was and interrupted their fight. Shuichi backed away and regrouped with Urataros as Edward did the same.

Urataros and Shuichi glanced at each other for a moment before facing their opponents again. " **So, find out anything new from her buddy over there?"** Urataros asked.

"Not much. He's been evasive to say the least. He's a hand to hand fighter so that's all I can say at the moment. Learned anything about her?" Shuichi asked.

" **Well, you have that thing."** Urataros said while gesturing at it. " **It's fast and strong. I still haven't fought it yet to figure out the weakness."**

The Ajin stared at Urataros as it said, "yOuR… eYeS…" Those words caught us off-guard as it charged straight at Urataros, but Shuichi quickly tackled the Ajin out of the way, knocking it on the ground.

Shuichi straddles on top of the Ajin and plunged his sword straight into it. However, this doesn't seem to have any effect on it as it whacked Shuichi across the temples, disorienting him before kicking him off. Urataros quickly rushes to his aid as he summoned his rod and whacked the Ajin in the torso, creating some distance to get Shuichi back on his feet.

" **Well, looks like stabbing doesn't work. That means it's not a good idea for you to fight against that."** Urataros advised.

Shuichi looked over to Cristina and said, "She's been the one giving it commands. If I could eliminate her, then the Ajin would disappear."

" **Then, you're gonna need someone else to handle him. Kin-chan, you're up."** Urataros said before jumping out of my body and letting Kintaros take over.

Kintaros cracked his neck as he said **, "ALRIGHT! This Ajin looks strong! Let's see he can handle the might of Kintaros!"**

"You're gonna have to do better than that." Edward said as he casually walked in front of us. "If this is all you got, then you guys are way out of your league." He then clapped his hands once as electricity sparked in between them before slamming his hands on the ground, creating a large glyph. The glyph had a clockwork gear appearance as it spins and moves around. Almost instantaneously, a sword appeared in his hands?!

"Ooh! It looks like Mr. Stehlen has already activated his semblance! Transmutation! The ability to transform by destroying and reconstructing matter to his will." Doctor Oobleck announced.

Edward twirled his sword around before pointing it at us and proclaiming, "It's over for you!"

And with that, Edward and the Ajin charged straight at us while Shuichi looked over to Kintaros and said, "Kintaros, try to hold those two off! I'll deal with Cristina."

Kintaros nods as Shuichi retraces back to where he was fighting before, which was a several feet behind the charging Edward and the Ajin, and made his way towards Cristina.

The Ajin pulled ahead of Edward and make the first move as it goes in for a straight punch, but Kintaros saw this coming and grabbed the Ajin's fist to redirect it before performing an open palm strike to knock it back. Then, Edward quickly followed up as he goes in for a vertical strike, but Kintaros quickly rolled out of the away. Edward took advantage of this moment as he didn't let Kintaros recover by following it up with a horizontal strike, causing Kintaros to lie on his back. From there, Edward goes in for a stab, but Kintaros quickly catches the blade and breaks it with his elbow.

Edward pulled what's left of the sword back as his eyes widen in shock from Kintaros' sheer strength. Kintaros took advantage of this moment and quickly rolled backwards to get back on his feet before grabbing Edward by the torso and throwing him into the Ajin. However, the Ajin caught him and set him down before charging toward Kintaros' once more.

The Ajin goes in for a right hook, to which Kintaros anticipated and blocked before retaliating with an open palm strike. The Ajin stumbled back as Edward clapped his hands and began transmuting the ground to launch him towards Kintaros at high speed. This caught Kintaros off-guard as all he could do was brace himself as Edward goes in for an axe kick with his left leg. This sheer force from Edward's kick caused a large gust of wind to be released and the ground beneath Kintaros to crack. Kintaros fell on one knee as Edward follows up his devastating attack with a roundhouse kick to the head.

Fortunately, this doesn't seem to faze Kintaros much as he quickly saw Edward going for a right hook. He quickly caught his arm as we both noticed something strange from his right arm. It felt metallic. Also, his left leg was a lot stronger than his right. 'Kintaros, are you thinking what I'm thinking?' I asked.

" **Right. There's something up with our friend here."** Kintaros said as he grabbed onto Edward's arm before delivering the full force of his front kick.

This sent Edward flying back into the Ajin as it caught him in its arms, but you can hear the crowd go silent. The fight between Cristina and Shuichi stopped as she looked over to her partner with worry and shouted, "EDWARD!"

Soon, the intercom came on as Professor Port said, "It seem like Mr. Stehlen has a… robotic arm?"

'Just as I thought.' I said to Kintaros as he removed the cloth and glove, revealing to be just that. The robotic arm appeared to be made by Atlas Military due to the high quality design and white color scheme.

Edward looked at the port that held his arm as he laughed and said, "You're a smart guy! I'll give you props for being the first one to figure it out. You think that I escaped the White Fang camp in one piece? It costed me an arm and a leg. Literally."

" **It doesn't matter now. You can't use your semblance based on what I saw. You need both of your hands in order to transmute anything."** Kintaros informed.

Edward snickered and said, "Did you really think I didn't plan for something like this to happen?" And just as he said that, Kintaros and I suddenly felt a large shock of electricity pulsing through us, causing us to let go of his robotic arm.

"AJIN, HELP EDWARD!" Cristina commanded.

"hElP eDwArD…" The Ajin muttered as he tackled Kintaros down, allowing Edward to get his arm back.

While the Ajin was beating down on Kintaros, Edward snaps his arm back into the port as he hisses and said, "You ruined my outfit. You're gonna pay for that." And with that, he took off his cloak, vest, tie, and dress shirt to reveal his black tank top and the scar around the port of his arm. He clapped his hands once more as he used his left hand to transmute his robotic arm to form a blade on top.

"KINTAROS!" Shuichi shouted as he tried to rush to his aid, but Cristina fired her gun where Shuichi's feet to stop him in his tracks.

"Don't forget about me." Cristina said as she goes in for a roundhouse kick, to which Shuichi dodges.

The Ajin was slamming its fists in Kintaros' face before jumping off of him. Kintaros thought he was safe until we looked up and saw Edward falling towards us with his blade arm! Kintaros quickly moves his head to the right as the blade hit right where his head was earlier. Taking this brief moment of time, Kintaros rolled away and quickly got back up on his feet, only to be attacked by the Ajin again with a swift strike to the stomach.

Kintaros stumbled back as the Ajin and Edward regrouped with each other and got in position. Kintaros waited for one of them to make their next move, watching for any shift in behavior. Suddenly, the Ajin quickly lowered his posture and charged at Kintaros at full speed, attempting to tackle him. However, this time Kintaros was prepared as he set his right leg back and lowered his stance before taking on the full force of the Ajin. The Ajin charged straight for the torso, but Kintaros managed to take on the attack and lock the Ajin's head in his left arm. From there, Kintaros falls back, letting gravity pull him down and slam its head into the ground, creating a large crack on the ground.

Kintaros got back up, ready to finish of the Ajin, but instead he saw it slowly dissipate. And at that moment, we realized how to take out the Ajin, blunt force trauma to the head. The moment we found out about the Ajin's weakness, Edward finally made his move and went in for a straight jab, but Kintaros redirected his arm and wrapped it around his neck to lock him in place.

Kintaros looked over to Shuichi and Cristina and shouted **, "OI, SHUICHI! THE AJIN'S WEAKNESS IS BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA!"** Shuichi took heed of Kintaros' advice as he saw Cristina attempting to summon another Ajin, but Shuichi was quick to react as he fired the flash arrow at the ground, blinding Cristina, before rushing towards the newly created Ajin and whacking it across the temple with the stock of his crossbow.

This caused Cristina immense amount of pain as she grabbed the side of her head, giving Shuichi an easy shot to eliminate her. "NO!" Edward shouted as he popped his right arm off. This allowed Edward to escape as he kicks Kintaros in the stomach to create some distance before reuniting back with his arm. He locks his arm back in place before clapping his hand and transmuting a wall between Cristina and Shuichi, stopping the explosive arrow in time before it exploded!

The explosion sent both Cristina and Shuichi back, but both of them remained unharmed as Edward clapped his hands once more. Kintaros rushed in to stop him from transmuting, but he was too slow as Edward locked Kintaros in a tightly packed concrete box. "Sorry, buddy. I have a partner to save. Don't take it personally." Edward said before running off.

Kintaros struggled to break free from his confinement as he tried to break his way out, but he couldn't fully utilize all of his strength since he couldn't use his whole body. " **Damn it, I can't break through. There's no room for me to break out!"** Kintaros shouted as he kept on struggling.

I try to make myself useful by looking for a way out until I looked up and saw that the hole wasn't covered. 'Look! That's our way out!' I said to Kintaros.

He looked up and noticed the hole as he said **, "I can't climb out there. We're too big!"**

'Kintaros, we can get out of here, but you're gonna have to follow my lead here. Okay?'

Kintaros nodded with confidence and said **, "Of course, you're a strong individual. I'll follow you no matter what!"**

'Okay, first point your arms up to the sky.' I commanded Kintaros. He did what he was told as he lifted his arms up. I analyzed the amount of room we have which was just enough for us to get out. 'Okay, next lean your back against the wall you're up against and place your right foot on the other wall.' Kintaros followed my command again. 'Good. From here, I need you to get your other leg on the wall and begin walking your way back up. And make sure you adjust your back to keep up with your legs. Got it?' Kintaros nodded once more as he slowly began marching his way out of the confinement. You could hear him grunting and struggling as he stepped with his right foot and almost fell back down!

'Kintaros! Are you alright?!' I asked worryingly.

" **I'm fine. We're gonna get out of here!"** Kintaros proclaimed as he regained his footing and marched onwards.

Soon, we could see the hole getting closer and closer as I said, 'Okay, once we're close enough, reach your arm out and grabbed the top of the wall in order to pull us out!'

" **Right!"** Kintaros said as he kept on marching a few more steps. Once he was close enough, he reached his arms out to grab the edge. He hung on tightly as he moved away from the back wall, allowing his legs to hang. From there, using all of his strength, Kintaros lifted himself out of the hole!

The crowd cheered for our escape as Doctor Oobleck announced, "And it seems like Mr. Akarui has finally escaped from his enclosed chamber! But now, can he save his partner from an elimination?!"

We both looked up as we see Shuichi stuck in the same situation as before as he had to fight off the other team by himself. Shuichi parried Edward's arm blade before rolling away from the Ajin's strike. And as he got up, Shuichi shouted, "Hey! I think this is the part where you come in and help!"

I could see Kintaros ready to attack until I decided to intervene and say, 'Kintaros, you can stop here. I'll take control again.'

Kintaros was confused by my choice as he asked **, "Are you sure? I can still fight."**

'No, it's fine. You've done more than enough. It's time for me to care my weight here. Thank you.'

Kintaros sighed softly and said **, "I respect your decision, Kurokuu-dono."** And with that, Kintaros left my body, allowing me to take control again.

As I took a deep breath, Edward took notice of my presence and said, "Cristine, keep Shuichi at bay! I'll deal with this guy." Cristine nodded at the orders she was give as she and the Ajin continued with their fight. Edward rubbed his hands eagerly as he said, "I gotta say, I thought this fight would be easy. Guess I was wrong."

I smirked at him and said, "Well, the future is full of surprises."

Edward chuckled softly at that and said, "Indeed." Without skipping a beat, Edward claps his hands again and slapped the ground. The arena started pulsing with electricity as he began manipulating the arena by bending the concrete to act like the waves of the ocean. Thinking on my feet, I summoned the Ryuvolver and charged a full blast before jumping up and firing it beneath my feet, effectively launching me in the air!

Edward quickly saw what I was trying to do as he clapped his hands once more and created a large wall to stop me in my flight, but I quickly switched out the the Uratarod and stabbed it into the wall to save myself from the face plant. Then using the rod as leverage, I swung my legs to lift myself onto the weapon before bouncing on it to jump over the wall. Edward didn't see it coming however as he decided to transmute the large wall into a roof to protect himself, but I quickly reacted and summoned the Kintaros Axe to break through the roof and chop off Edward's robotic arm.

His robotic arm fell limp on the ground as Edward was in shock at what happened. Taking advantage of this, I kicked Edward to the ground and chopped off his left robotic leg, rendering him completely immobile. Edward struggled to get up as I said, "Like I said, the future is full of surprises." The head of the axe glowed yellow as I tossed it up in the air before jumping for it. Then, I grabbed onto the handle and let gravity pull me down as I shout, "DYNAMIC CHOP!"

Then, I slashed Edward down the middle as an explosion occurred sending me and Edward flying back. I crashed straight into the transmuted wall while Edward crashed into the mine cart as Professor Port shouted, "And we finally have our first elimination from Team MSKD as Kurokuu Akarui eliminated Edward Stehlen of Team STAR."

News of Edward's elimination got Cristina's attention as she looked around for her partner to see him injured. I could see her eyes widen with fear and worry as she shouted, "EDWAAAAARD!" She quickly broke off from Shuichi's fight as she rushed towards Edward. Cristina cradled him in her arms as tears started rolling down her face. She looked up at me with an enraged look on her face as her aura started flaring brightly. "LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

The moment she said that, more of these Ajins started appear all across the arena as each of them kept on repeating the words, "LeAvE hIm AlOne!

"lEaVe HiM aLoNe!"

"Leave HIM alone!"

"LEAVE him ALONE!"

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

I felt fear running down my spine as I stood face to face with an arena covered with ten to twenty Ajins! "Ooh, it looks like Ms. Rockbell has fallen back on her last resort ability, the Flood." Professor Port announced.

"Yes, the Flood! The Flood is triggered when Cristina experiences a heighten emotion, which causes the large spawning of Ajins. Although the number increases, her control over them is much weaker as they act on her emotions and start attacking anyone nearby. Fortunately, the audience is safe from the fight except for Team MSKD. Let's see how they deal with the Flood." Doctor Oobleck informed.

Shuichi quickly retraced back to the center of the arena where I was as I asked him, "Shuichi, what do we do?! We can't handle this many!"

Shuichi looks around for a moment as he looks back at our side of the arena. "I have an idea! Kurokuu, keep the Ajins busy!" Shuichi said as he changed his sword to a crossbow and ran back to our field domain.

"Wait, what?!" I shouted, taking my eyes off of the Ajins as they all began rushing towards me with their inhumane speed. I quickly summoned the Ryuvolver to charge the shot to launch myself back, creating some distance between me and the flood of Ajins. But, they were to catch up as they began jumping off of each other to get to me. Soon, the first Ajin caught up with me as he tried to tackle me down, but I quickly strafe to the left to dodge it.

The Ajin fell head first, causing it to wither and dissipate. Good. One down, nineteen more to go. Just as I look back up to see what's in front of me, another Ajin stood there as it opened its claws and tried to slash me, but I quickly ducked underneath the attack. Then, I heard the Ajins behind me catching up as I rolled out of the way to the right, causing the horde of Ajins to tackle each other. In their state, this allowed me some time to run off and get cover as I looked back to Shuichi to see his progress.

As he loaded an explosive arrow, I shouted at him, "What is your plan?!"

"We're flooding the arena!" Shuichi shouted back as he fired an explosive arrow at the stone pillar. With the limited amount of time he has, Shuichi began making his way towards me while at the same time catching the attention of the Ajin horde.

I quickly popped out of my cover as I summoned the Ryuvolver and shouted, "Hurry! I'll cover you!"

Shuichi nodded as he ran full speed like a marathon runner towards me as I fired back at the Ajins, trying to at least knock them back and slow them down. Then, I see the Ajins trying to do the same thing they did to me and jumping on top of each other to get to Shuichi. I looked through the iron sights and followed the Ajin on top of the pile as I see it jumping towards Shuichi. Taking the shot, I fired the blast right at the chest, effectively knocking it and the rest of the Ajins back on the ground.

Finally, Shuichi made towards cover as he said, "It's gonna blow! Take cover!" I nodded as we both laid flat on the ground and covered our heads as the explosive went off. The crowd screamed as the pillar came crashing down into the water, which in turn created massive waves. The waves eliminate all of the Ajins in the arena, carried the robotic leg, arm, Edward and Cristina out of the arena.

The crowd started going wild as Professor Port exclaims, "And Team MSKD wins the doubles round!"

I basked in the cheers of the crowd until I remembered something. Edward doesn't have an arm or a leg to swim with. Fearing that he could've drowned, I quickly ran towards Team STAR's side of the arena and looked down into the pit. I could see that the water from the ocean is already gone, mostly likely due to the pit having a drainage system, and I see Edward carrying Cristina on his back as he struggles to climb up the ladder with both of his arms and legs.

He looks up to me as I reached my hand out and asked, "Need a hand?"

Edward rolls his eyes and said, "Ha, ha, very funny. Help me get Cristina off my back." He then lifted her legs up, allowing me to grab her arms and pull her up from the pit.

Shuichi walked over to me as he asked, "What's going on? Is she alright?"

"Yeah, she's fine. She just experienced some... . PTSD." Edward said hesitantly.

We both look at her worryingly as I asked, "What happened? If you don't mind me asking."

Edward nodded and said, "No, it's fine. It's just hard to recount them." He cleared his throat before explaining, "When I was captured by the White Fang, I was forced to work with them to help mass produce weapons for their army. I was treated like trash. I finally knew what the Faunus had to go through from what my company did to them. But, there was one faunus. No, one girl, who treated me and took care of me. Cristina."

We both looked over to her as we soon connected the dots. "So, let me guess. She helped you escape." Shuichi said.

Edward nodded and continued, "She helped me build a suit of armor in order for us to break out. She wanted to leave the White Fang after they began adopting a violent route. During our escape, Cristina almost got killed by her commander that until I stepped in. I sacrificed my arm and leg for her." He stopped for a moment to look at his robotic arm. "And at that moment, she unlocked her semblance and gravely injured him. She saved my life. Eventually, Atlas Search Team found me with her and we both made it our alive. But ever since, she always blamed herself for what happened to me. So I make sure I don't get hurt in battle so she wouldn't have to go through that again."

Shuichi and I didn't know how to react as all I could say was, "Edward… I'm sorry for what happened."

"It's fine. All we could do now is try to keep moving forward. Right?" Then, the bridge came up from the pit as he stood back up on his feet and said, "Anyways, it was a great fight you guys. You really had me on the edge." He stops for a moment to pick Cristina up. "Oh, and she also thanks you too." He turned his back towards us as he makes his way across the bridge, but not before giving us a peace sign with his robotic arm and saying, "Till we meet again. See ya!"

And with that, the duo entered their locker room as the arena door closes. Shuichi took a deep breath as he said, "Well, it's time to make our exit. Let's go." Shuichi began walking back as I quickly followed. But as I was making my way towards him, my body froze. This caused Shuichi to notice as he turned around and said, "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I don't know. I can't move!" I informed Shuichi as I tried to move my right foot. My hand. My neck. Anything! Why can't I move?! Then, I felt a familiar presence enter my body, immediately recognizing who it is. "Ryutaros! What're you doing?!" I asked him.

' **Kurokuu. I'm… I'm so sorry.'** Ryutaros said as he took over. I tried to fight back against him, but he was just far too strong as the pressure knocked me out.

* * *

 _Sparks erupted around Kurokuu as Ryutaros possessed him. Shuichi looked at him cautiously as he asked, "Ryutaros. What are you doing?" Ryutaros didn't say a word as he quickly summoned the Ryuvolver and fired his gun at Shuichi. However, Shuichi managed to dodge the shot as he said, "HEY! KNOCK IT OFF! WHAT'RE YOU DOING?!"_

 _Tears ran down his face as he fired his gun again, to which Shuichi rolled out of the way. The crowd started to grow concern as they were wondering what is happening. Then, Ryutaros charges straight towards Shuichi and hits him in the head with the stock of his gun. From there, he began beating down on Shuichi savagely. Soon, the crowd roared with shock and anger as they said things like, "What the hell is the matter with him?!"_

" _They won right? Why is he beating his teammate to death?!"_

" _Somebody stop this guy!"_

" _He's crazy!"_

* * *

 _It was the night time at Mount. Glenn as the silence of the night would soon be interrupted by the howls of the Beowolves. The pack all sniff the air as they sense something that they enjoy dearly. The negative emotions of humans. All of the Grimm in the area looked the same way as they began making their way towards the source, ready to cause chaos._

* * *

 _Professor Port started panicking as he picked up his scroll and shouted, "Cut the cameras! CUT THE CAMERAS!"_

 _Shuichi quickly kick Ryutaros off as he pulled out his sword to defend himself. Ryutaros and Shuichi stared down at each other until six Atlesian Knights and four Beacon Security Guards surround Ryutaros and shout, "Kurokuu Akarui! Stand down or we will take you in by force!"_

 _Team RWBY, JNPR, and Mai all watched in shock as they see one of their best friends get arrested. Weiss, especially, watched with a single tear running down her eye as she held onto Kurokuu's Rider Pass and Stopwatch tightly. And in the crowd, Kasumi watched in horror as she sees who she think is her brother collapse from the pressure. Cinder, Emerald, Mercury, and Neo watched it all play out as they looked baffled themselves. And lastly, Kai watched with joy on his expressionless face as he sees the Security Guards push in on Kurokuu._

 _The Beacon Security rushed in and handcuffed Kurokuu as Shuichi sheathed his sword and said, "Wait! Wait! Let him go!"_

" _Sorry, but we're under orders to arrest and get him out of here! We can't keep him here in front of the public!" One of the guards said as he regrouped back with his team._

 _Soon, the arena was completely empty with Shuichi standing in the middle. All alone._

* * *

(A/N): Whew... That was a lot to take in. I know some of you are wondering why I'm letting what happened to Yang happen to Kurokuu? Well, I felt like this moment can dictate how Kurokuu will change as a character. With the recently luck he's been having lately, I kinda just want to yank that away from him. And I feel like this moment is kind of wasted for Yang as her character arc is focused on recovering from losing her arm and moving forward with her trauma. Some may say that this moment also reinforces the development of Yang as she needs to learn to not rush in and act on her emotions, but I feel that the scene with Adam is a lot stronger and it works better than this scene. So that is my thought process. Also, the OCs I have for this chapter, I created them myself. Edward Stehlen is based off of Edward Elric of Fullmetal Alchemist, but his backstory derives from Iron Man's origin story. And for Cristina Rockbell, her name is based off of two people. Rockbell, obviouslly from Winry Rockbell of Fullmetal Alchemist, and her name Cristina is based on the english voice actor, Cristina Vee, for the character, Izumi, from Ajin: Demi-Human. It's also where her semblance is based off of.

So what did you guys think? Was this chapter hopefully worth the wait? As always, leave a review on what you thought about this chapter and I hope I see you all soon. Bye!


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